Preparing Oregon Educators To Teach Cybersecurity Concepts
To expand equitable access to cybersecurity learning and ensure student readiness for digital citizenship and cyber careers, Oregon must prepare its K-12 educators to confidently teach cybersecurity concepts. The Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, created by the state legislature in 2023, is a resource to Oregon teachers. One of OCCoE’s role is to encourages the development of our state’s cybersecurity workforce and enhance cybersecurity education through a focus on STEM and CTE programs. We share resources and opportunities with educators through OCCoE’s K12 initative, NW Cyber Camp. Join our educator mailing list at bit.ly/NWCC_K12educators for occasional news about cybersecurity teaching resources, professional development, curriculum, and career-connected learning experiences for youth.
– – PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES – –
Nurturing Inclusive Cybersecurity Education (NICE) at the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is one of the founding members of the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. A major component of their NICE Project is free professional development workshops for high school teachers – with 40 hours of Professional Development Units available in 2026. NICE faculty adopted the Teachers–Learners–Observers (TLO) model for these workshops to prepare educators to teach cybersecurity at their schools, via short modules in existing courses or in new semester or year-long classes. The training focuses on the RING cybersecurity curriculum, which introduces high school students to essential topics such as digital safety, ethical hacking, and risk management.
NICE Virtual Workshop: 4 Saturdays (7, 14, 21, and 28) in February, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and 1:00 PM–5:00 PM
NICE In-Person Workshop at UO: June 22–26, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM (lodging options available)
Self-Paced PD from CYBER.ORG
Supported in part by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), CYBER.ORG provides curriculum, professional development (PD), and hands-on resources for K12 cybersecurity education. Bring engaging cybersecurity topics to your classroom with support form CYBER.ORG’s virtual workshops and Self-Paced PD course: https://cyber.org/events
National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (at various universities)
NCTA is an 18 credit-hour graduate-level certificate designed to prepare high school teachers to teach cybersecurity. The online coursework varies by participating universities and typically includes Teaching Cybersecurity, Foundations of Cybersecurity, Network Security and other Advanced Topics. https://teachcyber.org/ncta/
– – CURRICULUM RESOURCES – –
NW Cyber Camp aims to introduce Oregon’s teachers to cybersecurity-focused, vendor-neutral instructional materials. To ensure equitable access, curricular resources are identified based on their alignment with public-service missions rather than commercial interests. This includes Creative Commons and Public Domain resources that offer pertinent material without the barrier of recurring licensing costs. All cybersecurity curriculum, classroom resources, and instructional modules cited by NW CYber Camp and OCCoE are sourced from the following categories:
- Federal & State Government Agencies: Materials developed by CISA, NIST (NICE), NSF, NSA, etc.
- Academic Consortia: Peer-reviewed materials hosted by accredited universities and Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity..
- 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organizations: Advocacy groups whose primary mission is cybersecurity educational advancement and workforce development (e.g., TeachCyber, Cyber.org).
RING (Regions Investing in the Next Generation) is a foundational cybersecurity course developed by the University of Alabama at Huntsville for high school learners. It includes 180 content hours with detailed lesson plans, instructional slides, activities, hands-on labs, graphic organizers, review games, and assessments. The RING program also offers limited teacher and student accounts for a free cybersecurity range. Oregon educators interested in using the RING curriculum or offering a RING course can complete the RING Curriculum Request Form using their institutional email address. RING is provided at no cost through grants by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program office located at the National Security Agency and through partnerships with Centers of Academic Excellence Community institutions.
CLARK (Cybersecurity Labs And Resource Knowledge-base) is large platform of free cybersecurity curricular resources created by educators and reviewed for relevance and quality. CLARK’s repository of more than 4,000 resources is searchable by topic (adversarial thinking, ethics, cryptography, etc.), by level (elementary, middle or high school), and/or by collection (from GenCyber Camps, CLARK4Kids, XP Cyber, and more). The robust filter can also help you find lessons by length, ranging from 1 hour activities to year-long courses. https://clark.center/home
The National Cryptologic Foundation’s Outsmart Cyberthreats collection, helps middle and high school students build the skills to protect themselves online. The 21-page magazine-like booklet, accompanying teacher guide and student workbook, uses real-life examples and hands-on activities to teach “Data Care”— the practical habits and security principles that keep personally identifiable information safe. Any educator can use this free resource to teach cyber safety in a classroom or an after-school program. Students learn how companies and criminals use data, as well as how to spot and avoid online threats, manage digital risks, and explore careers in cybersecurity. Through scenario-based learning, interactive exercises, and clear takeaways, Outsmart Cyberthreats offers students skills they can use immediately. https://cryptologicfoundation.org/resources/downloads/outsmart-cyberthreats-collection/
Teach Cyber’s eight-module The Challenge of Cybersecurity – Cyber 1 course for 9th – 12th graders introduces students to the foundational concepts, principles, and tools of cybersecurity. The 100-120 hour curriculum is rooted in eight big ideas: ethics, establishing trust, ubiquitous connectivity, data security, system security, adversarial thinking, risk, and implications. The modular design provides flexibile implementation as modules can be used independently or in whatever sequence you prefes. Free to Registered Educators. https://teachcyber.org/cybersecurity-teaching-resources/lessons/intro-to-cybersecurity/#edd-free-download-modal
The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA’s) National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies (NICCS) is a collection of workforce and educational resources for many audiences, including teachers and students.
- Visit NICCS Resource page for K12 Educators.
- TryCyber’s micro-challenges for 6th – 12th graders, allow students to experience the knowledge, skills, and tasks needed in the cybersecurity workforce. Students will need a device to explore, independently or in a classroom environment, more than 20 different technical and non-technical cybersecurity roles.
- Explore CISA Resources for K-5 teachers: https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/programs/cybersecurity-education-career-development/resources-grades-k-5
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s cyber safety program for 3rd – 8th grade classroom, Safe Online Surfing (SOS), can extend cyber citizenship lessons and help students learn about online safety while engaging in interactive games. The program addreses current Internet safety threats (cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, etc.) while keeping each grade level’s online usage and knowledge in mind. Students will need a digital device to complete the activities on the SOS website. Teachers have the option of signing up and registering their class to take part in the testing and monthly competitions. https://sos.fbi.gov/en