The Cyber Security Knowledge Exchange: Working with Employers to Produce Authentic PBL Scenarios and Enhance Employability

The shortage of professionals to combat the growth of cyber-attacks demands a response from universities to equip students with relevant skills and knowledge. Furthermore, the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in the UK particularly lacks information security expertise. This paper explains and critically evaluates innovative approaches which address both problems. Our innovations include open-access adaptable Problem-based learning (PBL) scenarios, developed with industry partners to ensure authenticity. Full resources are available at https://​www.​cyberedge.​uk/​cske/​index.​php. PBL was found to be well-aligned with the multi-disciplinary challenge of information security - it develops essential professional skills and can model the consultancy process. To address the SME skills issues, teams of students, conducted consultancy-based work-placements to address SME-identified problems. Evaluation showed PBL scenarios and consultancy work placements received strongly positive responses from participants. The educational design, processes of development and engagement with partners, and the evaluation methods are readily transferable to other subject domains.