Learning Outcomes for Cyber Defense Competitions

Cyber defense competitions (CDCs) simulate a real-world environment, where the competitors must protect the information assets of a fictional organization. These competitions are becoming popular at the high school and college levels, as well as in industry and governmental settings. However, there is little research to date on the learning outcomes associated with CDCs or the long-term benefits to the participants as they pursue future educational, employment or military goals. For this exploratory research project, we surveyed 11 judges and mentors participating in a well-established high school CDC held in the southeastern United States. Then we developed a set of recommended learning outcomes for CDCs, based on importance of the topic and participant preparedness for future information-security related endeavors. While most previous research has focused on technology issues, we analyzed technological, human, and social topics, to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations for future CDCs