Dataset of "Lessons Learned from Using Cyber Range to Teach Cybersecurity at Different Levels of Education"

In today’s modern society, it is difficult, nearly impossible, to work and study effectivelywithout using the internet. With services moving into cyberspace and theever-increasing number of users, new cyber threats are emerging with the potentialto cause devastation to both organizations and individuals. For this reason,it is necessary to educate users regardless of their age, gender, and qualification.This paper addresses the challenges associated with the need for cybersecurityeducation and presents lessons learned from applying an interactive and gamifiedapproach within a cyber range (CR), a controlled environment that enables thedeployment of virtual machines and networks for research, training, and testingpurposes. In our work, we utilized the CR platform to teach cybersecurity at theprimary, secondary, and high school levels of education. Through a series of tests,different approaches, surveys, and feedback collected from students and teachers,we identified their perceptions and critical aspects of CR-based cybersecurity education.We found that gamification positively influences learning, with studentsemphasizing the fun aspect and teachers highlighting engagement and motivation.Both groups value interactivity for developing practical skills and reinforcing theoreticalconcepts. Although scoring encourages competition, some students find itstressful. Similarly, penalizing hints can motivate problem solving, but may alsodeter those needing assistance. These and other findings presented in this papermay be useful for building and further developing cyber ranges to improve theeffectiveness of teaching, learning and training cybersecurity.

在当今现代社会，脱离互联网几乎无法高效开展工作与学习。随着各类服务向线上迁移、用户规模持续扩张，新型网络威胁层出不穷，对组织机构与个人均可能造成毁灭性影响。有鉴于此，无论年龄、性别与受教育程度如何，对用户开展网络安全教育均属必要。本文针对网络安全教育需求面临的诸多挑战展开探讨，并分享了在网络靶场（cyber range, CR）中应用交互式与游戏化教学模式所积累的经验与教训。网络靶场是一类受控式环境，可部署虚拟机与网络，用于开展研究、培训与测试工作。本研究依托该网络靶场平台，面向小学、初中与高中教育阶段的学生开展网络安全教学。通过一系列测试、不同教学方法的尝试、问卷调查以及师生反馈数据，我们梳理了师生对基于网络靶场的网络安全教育的认知评价与关键关注点。研究发现，游戏化教学对学习成效具有积极作用：学生群体更看重教学的趣味性，教师则强调其能提升课堂参与度与学习动力。两类群体均认可交互式教学对培养实操技能、强化理论认知的价值。尽管计分机制能够激发竞争意识，但部分学生认为其带来了额外压力。同理，对提示信息设置惩罚机制虽可推动学生主动解决问题，但也可能令需要帮扶的学生却步。本文呈现的上述及其他研究发现，可为网络靶场的构建与优化、提升网络安全教育与培训的实效性提供有益参考。