Cybersecurity Curriculum in WA Primary and Secondary Schools
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
This project will map the WA school curriculum to ascertain what aspects surrounding cybersecurity are covered and where they are located (learning area, year level, etc.). A state-wide advisory group will be established to advise on how we best position young people in WA to be cyber-aware and cyber-safe, both now and in the future. Multiple consultation workshops with cybersecurity providers will produce recommendations into how cybersecurity might best be addressed within the WA curriculum.
WHO’S INVOLVED
This project is funded by the CSCRC, Edith Cowan University and Government of Western Australia acting through the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Office of the Digital Government (DGov).
WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
Cyber-crime is increasing exponentially; hackers continue to develop new ways to scam citizens. While there are educative resources and support available for adults of various ages to assist in protecting themselves from cyber-theft, there is a need for research to explore what opportunities there are to better educate young people in WA. The limits of current practice is that there is possibly a haphazard approach to teaching cybersecurity – we do not know where, how and if it is being taught in schools - and there is opportunity to address how we might teach cybersecurity knowledge, skills and understanding more proactively to ensure safe, considered use of digital media. Educating young people is an investment in the future.
WHAT WERE THE OBJECTIVES?
The aim of the project is to map the current WA school curriculum to ascertain what aspects surrounding cybersecurity are already covered and where they are located (learning area, year level, knowledge, skill, etc.). For integrating cyber-knowledge into current primary and secondary WA curricula, this project aims at understanding and subsequently utilising the correlation of teaching components related to cybersecurity, such as:
- knowledge domains,
- prerequisites to understand the relevant concepts,
- unique features,
- the students’ educational situation, activity, and progress,
- unique approaches and methods to be used by the teacher, and
- the rationale in the scheme of the current curriculum.