Prince George’s County, MD – UMGC is offering a training program called CyberTEACH for teachers who instruct 7th-12th grade classes. The program will explain cybersecurity and AI concepts to teachers to allow them to implement the topics in their classrooms.
Cybersecurity and AI are rapidly growing fields that the average teacher knows little about, but it’s important that education professionals know about these topics in order to properly prepare their students for the future.
Topics like safety on the internet, as well as the ongoing development of AI technologies take front and center in the CyberTEACH program. The CyberTEACH webpage explains their target areas, “Our instructors will focus on helping teachers infuse cybersecurity and AI concepts such as cybersecurity awareness, data privacy, online safety, ethical technology use, and innovation in AI into their existing courses.”
We reached out to the CyberTEACH project team to explore how this new initiative came to fruition and how it’s seeking to impact education throughout the state of Maryland.
Dr. Helen Barker, Chair of the UMGC Cybersecurity Department and Principal Investigator for the initiative, responded, “The shortage of cybersecurity personnel is a significant risk factor for organizations. That there are about 3 million unfilled positions in cybersecurity, is a growing concern for organizations worldwide. Currently, the pipeline does not exist that can meet this gap. One solution is to entice non-technical high school students to explore training and certification in the cybersecurity space.”
“Cyber SyncED is designed to develop and build science and technology ecosystems within the community by extending cybersecurity awareness and knowledge to training participants and increase awareness and visibility of cybersecurity professional opportunities. By integrating cybersecurity and AI into non-STEM curriculum, we hope to create interest and excitement leading to further student exploration of the fields.”
To help prepare the next generation of cyber security-aware students, UMGC began to offer CyberTEACH Training to its first cohort of teachers on October 19. The first training session included 27 teachers from public schools across Southern and Central Maryland, as well as two public charter schools from Washington, DC. The remaining training sessions are scheduled to take place every Saturday over the next four weeks.
Teachers in Maryland can register now for consideration in one of the next teacher cohorts that will begin starting in February 2025. The five-week CyberTEACH program will convene for sessions in person at the UMGC Headquarters located at 3501 University Blvd E, Adelphi, Maryland 20783, as well as other designated locations in Maryland.
Below, we’ve listed the dates of the current teacher training cohort.
- October 19th – 8:30 am to 3 pm
- October 26th – 8:30 am to 3 pm
- November 2nd – 8:30 am to 3 pm
- November 9th – 8:30 am to 3 pm
- November 16th – 8:30 am to 3 pm
According to the CyberTEACH Project Manager, “UMGC’s CyberTEACH program typically accepts 20 teachers for each of its cohorts, but the first one was in such demand that the class grew to 27 members.”
UMGC has begun to accept applications to join future classes that will begin in February and continue throughout 2025. CyberTEACH Program participants are not required to pay for the training.
The CyberTEACH initiative is funded by UMGC through support from the Army Research Laboratory located in Adelphi, Maryland. Participating educators will receive a $1,800 stipend, laptop computer, and professional development certificate upon completion of the training.
