Enhancing Cybersecurity Learning Through Online Platforms and Gamified Approaches

Abstract

The way teaching used to be done in a lab, just doesn’t show how important it is to be real, be lively, and think differently when it comes to modern security practice. As a result, the rise of online cybersecurity platforms, the use of challenge-based environments, and the use of game-based learning methods have all become powerful additions to traditional teaching methods. This paper looks at how well interactive methods work in teaching, by combining what the public knows, well-known learning theories, and what instructors have experienced in undergraduate and postgraduate cybersecurity courses. The present study looks at how online platforms, virtual training areas, gamified exercises and Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competitions can make people more interested, independent and able to learn. The research looks at how new technologies, like the Internet of Things (IoT) systems, blockchain infrastructures, and distributed cyber-physical environments, will affect the future of cybersecurity training. The paper ends with a blended learning framework and a research design for future real-world testing, emphasising the need to include practical digital ecosystems in today’s cybersecurity courses.

Keywords: Cybersecurity Education, Online Learning Platforms, Game-based Learning, Capture-the-flag (CTF), Handson Training

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007410