Program Overview

GenCyber Cowboy Teacher Cybersecurity Academy

Description

The Department of Computer Science at Oklahoma State University is hosting the GenCyber Cowboy Teacher Cybersecurity Academy on the Stillwater campus. The academy provides a summer camp experience for Oklahoma middle and high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers. The program includes pre-academy and post-academy activities designed to help teachers prepare for program activities and incorporate cybersecurity knowledge and pedagogical strategies into their practice.

Curriculum and Instructional Strategies

The curriculum and instructional strategies revolve around GenCyber cybersecurity concepts, ethics, cybersecurity careers, and simplicity in cybersecurity. The program aims to enhance teachers' cybersecurity knowledge and capacity, as well as provide them with teamwork experience on various hands-on activities. The curriculum is designed based on the "Oklahoma K-12 Academic Standard for Computer Science" to remove barriers that keep teachers from translating their experiences and knowledge into classroom instruction.

Eligibility

Teacher applicants must:

• Be a teacher in a public, private, or charter middle/high school in Oklahoma by the time of application.
• Be able to participate in the full week of the academy, in addition to pre/post-academy activities.
• Provide proof of employment at a middle/high school shortly before the pre-academy activities.
• Be a U.S. Citizen or a Permanent Resident.

Academy Highlights

• Free to all teachers
• Free meal
• Free housing for teachers who commute long distances
• $1,200 stipend after completing Pre/Post-Academy Activities and Summer Academy
• Lectures from cybersecurity faculty in the Department of Computer Science
• Invited talk from a cybersecurity expert
• Free cybersecurity educational materials
• Cybersecurity curriculum and lesson plan design with a K-12 pedagogical expert
• Free field trip

Schedule

• Application Deadline: 11:59 PM, March 1, 2024, or until all seats are filled, whichever comes first
• Pre-Academy Activity: 8:00 AM 5:00 PM, March 9, 2024
• Summer Academy: 8:30 AM 5:00 PM, June 24 - 28, 2024
• Post-Academy Activity: 8:00 AM 5:00 PM, September 14, 2024

Location

The academy will be held at the Mathematical Sciences (MSCS) Building, Oklahoma State University-Stillwater Campus, Stillwater, OK 74078.

Funding

The funding for the academy is provided jointly by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) through an award received by Oklahoma State University.