Capture the flag challenge design and implementation (part 2)

Abstract

More often than not, students in higher education are driven by assessments and achievements rather than the “learning journey” that can be accomplished through full engagement with provisioned material. Novel approaches are needed to improve engagement in and out of class time, and to achieve a greater depth of learning. We introduce the concept of Capture the Flag (CTF) which are series of challenges that require participants to exercise different skillsets to solve. In recent years, CTFs have emerged as a new approach that gamifies cybersecurity education to engage and attract more students into the field of cybersecurity. There is a growing use of CTF in informal educational settings and leisure-time competitions, but they are rarely applied to undergraduate university courses. This paper presents the design and evaluation of integrating CTF as a novel and unique approach to revitalise the cybersecurity education curriculum and assess learning activities.