Bridging the Digital Gap: Teaching Cyber Strategy and Policy through a Crisis Simulation

Abstract

This article details an attempt to bridge the gulf between information technology (IT) and social science approaches to cybersecurity using a simulation. Digital affairs are increasingly central to public policy, and yet the subject's incorporation within political science education has been hamstrung by an underlying disciplinary divide and lack of familiarity. Despite their differences, both IT and political science have strong traditions of utilizing active learning methods and simulation to achieve learning outcomes. Drawing on this shared pedagogy, we created an interdisciplinary simulation that leverages elements of digital forensics to provide students with a unique, active learning experience of responding to a national cybersecurity crisis. The simulation was fielded during an intermediate level class on cyber conflict and generated an overwhelmingly positive response. Students credited the exercise with helping them better understand the unique characteristics of cyberspace as a geopolitical domain and appreciated how the lack of an IT background was not a barrier to addressing cyber policy issues.