Appalachian Solutions in Cybersecurity Innovation Initiative: Cybersecurity Technician Pipeline Development in Rural, Eastern Kentucky

The arrival of a 288-strand fiber optic cable system in fall 2019 was the first step in providing a high-speed, high-capacity broadband connection to businesses and residents in Central Appalachia. The resulting growth in the Central Appalachian digital economy has created unprecedented challenges and opportunities for region’s current skilled technical workforce and future talent pipelines.

As business and service providers in the region use this high-speed infrastructure, there is an increased need for skilled cybersecurity technicians. To meet this need, this project will design and offer Kentucky’s first associate degree in Cybersecurity. Design of the new degree program will be informed by regional industry needs and federal standards.

This project intends to increase understanding of effective recruitment strategies, student support services, and curricular design in Cybersecurity education for remote rural environments such as Central Appalachia.

This project will use the Business and Leadership Team framework as published by the National Convergence Technology Center to validate course content and learning outcomes for an associate of applied science degree program in Cybersecurity. Student success will be supported by implementing a student cohort program model, embedding a contextualized first-year experience course into the curriculum, and providing tutoring.

Students will participate in external opportunities such as the National Cybersecurity Student Association, Cyberleague competition, and apprenticeships. The project team will work closely with other NSF ATE projects in Cybersecurity, the National Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance at Moraine Valley Community College, and the National CyberWatch Center to adapt course content and create exercises for remote and virtual delivery.

This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.