Lessons Learned from Using Cyber Range to Teach Cybersecurity at Different Levels of Education

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216305%3A26220%2F25%3APU155996" target="_blank" >RIV/00216305:26220/25:PU155996 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-025-09840-y" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-025-09840-y</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10758-025-09840-y" target="_blank" >10.1007/s10758-025-09840-y</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Lessons Learned from Using Cyber Range to Teach Cybersecurity at Different Levels of Education

Original language description

In today’s modern society, it is difficult, nearly impossible, to work and study effectively without using the internet. With services moving into cyberspace and the ever-increasing number of users, new cyber threats are emerging with the potential to cause devastation to both organizations and individuals. For this reason, it is necessary to educate users regardless of their age, gender, and qualification. This paper addresses the challenges associated with the need for cybersecurity education and presents lessons learned from applying an interactive and gamified approach within a cyber range (CR), a controlled environment that enables the deployment of virtual machines and networks for research, training, and testing purposes. In our work, we utilized the CR platform to teach cybersecurity at the primary, secondary, and high school levels of education. Through a series of tests, different approaches, surveys, and feedback collected from students and teachers, we identified their perceptions and critical aspects of CR-based cybersecurity education. We found that gamification positively influences learning, with students emphasizing the fun aspect and teachers highlighting engagement and motivation. Both groups value interactivity for developing practical skills and reinforcing theoretical concepts. Although scoring encourages competition,some students find it stressful. Similarly, penalizing hints can motivate problem solving, but may also deter those needing assistance. These and other findings presented in this paper may be useful for building and further developing cyber ranges to improve the effectiveness of teaching, learning and training cybersecurity.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50301 - Education, general; including training, pedagogy, didactics [and education systems]

Project

<a href="/en/project/EH22_008%2F0004617" target="_blank" >EH22_008/0004617: Energy conversion and storage</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Technology, Knowledge and Learning

ISSN

2211-1662

e-ISSN

2211-1670

Volume of the periodical

neuveden

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2025

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

36

Pages from-to

1-36

UT code for WoS article

001461152800001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105002164011