A Conceptual Learning Framework of Cybersecurity Education for Military and Law Enforcement

To address cybersecurity threats that organizations are facing today, there is an urgent need for an interdisciplinary approach in educational programming to prepare the next generation of indispensable workers who are often dispersed, such as law enforcement and military personnel. Extensive data breaches and even low profile but high impact cybercrimes present immense challenges for law enforcement, military, and local government agencies. These agencies, by nature, are some of the primary targets of cyberattacks, and hence, cybersecurity awareness and cyber investigation-related education are crucial for meeting the demanding requirements of their job duties and responsibilities. This paper describes the pedagogy of current educational programs for military and law enforcement toward identifying existing gaps in the adult pedagogy used to prepare the workforce. The paper concludes with a proposed framework based on recommendations on domain-specific topics and pedagogical formats for the most effective cybersecurity learning for these dispersed groups.