ERIC Number: EJ1280080
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1939-1382
EISSN: N/A
Cyberspace Odyssey: A Competitive Team-Oriented Serious Game in Computer Networking
Graham, Kendra; Anderson, James; Rife, Conrad; Heitmeyer, Bryce; Patel, Pranav R.; Nykl, Scott; Lin, Alan C.; Merkle, Laurence D.
IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, v13 n3 p502-515 Jul-Sep 2020
Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by engaging students in a race to successfully perform various cybersecurity tasks in order to collect clues and solve a puzzle in virtual near-Earth three-dimensional space. Each team interacts with the game server through a dedicated client presenting a multimodal interface, using a game controller for navigation and various desktop computer networking "tools of the trade" for cybersecurity tasks on the game's physical network. Specifically, teams connect to wireless access points, use packet monitors to intercept network traffic, decrypt and reverse engineer that traffic, craft well-formed and meaningful responses, and transmit those responses. Successful completion of these physical network actions to solve a sequence of increasingly complex problems is necessary to progress through the virtual story-driven adventure. Use of the networking tools reinforces networking theory and offers hands-on practical training requisite for today's cyber operators. This article presents the learning outcomes targeted by a classroom intervention based on CSO, the design and implementation of the game, a pedagogical overview of the overall intervention, and four years of quantitative and qualitative data assessing its effectiveness.
Descriptors: Computer Networks, Information Security, Task Analysis, Computer Games, Computer Simulation, Teaching Methods, Outcomes of Education, Competition, Teamwork, Computer Science Education, Puzzles, Leadership Training, Military Personnel, Armed Forces, Program Descriptions, Military Training
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: 732-981-0060; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2578/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=4620076
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A