At University of Maryland Global Campus, we know that cybersecurity has practical applications across a wide range of fields, even outside of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). That's why the 2023 GenCyber Infusion and Immersion Teacher Camp at UMGC will look a little different than in years past. The GenCyber camp is still designed to help high school teachers deliver cybersecurity content into their curricula more effectively. But this year, the program will focus on training non-technical high school teachers to infuse cybersecurity concepts into their existing courses. This is designed to introduce more students to cybersecurity fundamentals, concepts, and ethics. Complete Dates, Times, & Locations for the 2023 GenCyber Teacher Camp
- When: The camp will take place July 17–21, 2023 and consist of a hybrid, week-long program.
- Required pre-camp online preparatory sessions start April 6, 2023.
- Required post-camp online follow-up sessions take September 9 and October 7, 2023.
- Where: In-person meetings will be held at UMGC's Dorsey Station location. Virtual meetings will be held via Zoom or Virtual Reality (VR).
Pre-Camp Dates & Times
- Thursday, April 6 (5–6 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, April 27 (5–6 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, May 18 (5–6 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, June 15 (5–6 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, June 29 (5–6 p.m. ET)
- Thursday, July 13 (5–6 p.m. ET)
Please note: All pre-camp activities will be recorded and then delivered synchronously and remotely via Zoom or VR.
Camp Dates & Times
- Camp Begins: Monday, July 17 (8:30 a.m. ET)
- Camp Ends: Friday, July 21 (3 p.m. ET)
Post-Camp Dates & Times
- Saturday, September 9 (exact time TBD)
- Saturday, October 7 (exact time TBD)
Submit Additional Application Materials
After you complete and submit the GenCyber application form, you must submit additional required documentation to gencyber@umgc.edu.
Required: Essay or Video
You will need to submit an essay (250–500 words) or video (1–2 minutes) containing responses to all of the following prompts:
- Why should you be chosen to receive this GenCyber opportunity?
- What makes you stand out from your peers?
- Describe any experience you have in the cybersecurity field (volunteer work, articles, etc.) and any other cyber-related hobbies or extracurricular activities you enjoy.
- How would you incorporate cybersecurity concepts into the non-STEM courses you teach?
- Describe your interests and/or experiences in virtual reality and/or immersive technologies and how they could be used in today's classrooms.
Optional (Recommended): Reference Letter
You may also submit one optional reference letter to support your application. While optional, a recommendation letter will strengthen your application. Specifically, you may submit a reference letter from the following sources:
- Your current school principal or department head
- A current or former employer, student, or former supervisor who can write to your ability to learn and apply knowledge in your classroom
Your reference letter should be on official letterhead and contain the full name and contact information (phone, email, and address) of the writer.
How to Submit Your Application Materials
- Combine your supporting documentation (essay question responses and optional recommendation letter) into one PDF file.
- If you have chosen to submit a video in place of the essay, type the link to your video and include that in your PDF file.
- Name the file gencyber-lastname-firstname.pdf (e.g. gencyber-smith-john).
- Send your single PDF to gencyber@umgc.edu before the application deadline date.
- In your email subject line, type GenCyber 2023 App: Lastname Firstname (e.g. .GenCyber 2023 App: John Smith).
- In your email subject line, type GenCyber 2023 App: Lastname Firstname (e.g. .GenCyber 2023 App: John Smith).
If you are selected for the camp, you will be instructed to submit your latest college transcript.
Please note: Incomplete applications and applications without the required supplemental documentation will not be considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
The GenCyber program provides summer cybersecurity camp experiences for students and teachers at the K–12 level. The goals of the GenCyber program are to
- Ignite, sustain, and increase awareness of K–12 cybersecurity content and cybersecurity postsecondary and career opportunities for participants through year-round engagement
- Increase student diversity in cybersecurity college and career readiness pathways at the K–12 level
- Facilitate teacher readiness within a teacher learning community to learn, develop, and deliver cybersecurity content for the K–12 classroom in collaboration with other nationwide initiatives
The GenCyber program strives to be a part of the solution to the nation’s shortfall of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Ensuring that enough young people are inspired to utilize their talents in cybersecurity is critical to the future of our country’s national and economic security as we become even more reliant on cyber-based technology in every aspect of our daily lives.
To ensure a level playing field, GenCyber camps are open to all student and teacher participants at no cost. Funding is provided by the National Security Agency.
Grant Authority: CFDA 12.903 GenCyber Grants Program
Camps are designed for either students or teachers. Eligible teachers are high school teachers in grades 9–12 in Maryland or the National Capital area. The 2023 camp will be geared toward non-STEM teachers who wish to incorporate cybersecurity into their curriculum.
To date, funding has been provided by the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation.
The supply of cybersecurity professionals has fallen far short of demand, with some studies estimating the gap being as large as 600,000+ professionals needed to meet the nation’s demand. The NSA hopes to turn this around.
In addition, cybersecurity is rarely taught in schools even within computer science classes. The NSA hopes to help change that by spurring best practices in cybersecurity pedagogy across content areas and development of curricula and lesson plans that can be used to infuse cybersecurity principles across many subject areas.
Cybersecurity is vital to the future of the United States, not just at the government level, but also at the industrial, economic, academic, and personal levels as well. It is critical that young students have a basic understanding of cybersecurity so that as they learn through their schooling and personal experiences, they can see how cybersecurity impacts all aspects of their lives, be it through social media, economic situations, or physical devices.
Our country is entering an era where it is likely that numerous household items, personal computing devices, and business systems will be connected to the Internet of Things. In this rapidly evolving technology environment, everyone needs to be cognizant of cybersecurity. Whether you are an NSA analyst, an accountant, an electrician, or a stay-at-home mom or dad, these devices will become increasingly important in our lives. We need both broad awareness of cybersecurity in the general population and experts in the field who can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities.
The GenCyber program is designed around the following objectives:
- Introducing the GenCyber Cybersecurity Concepts to participants
- Providing participants with cybersecurity content that they can use in their non-STEM classrooms
- Providing participants with opportunities to engage their students
- Increasing readiness for teaching cybersecurity content
- Sharing best practices relating to how to teach cybersecurity
- Enabling long-term communication for participants
UMGC's GenCyber program allows you to learn about cybersecurity and how it affects all disciplines. You will study cybersecurity principles and core security concepts, while also learning how to infuse those principles and concepts into lesson plans that fit the courses you teach. In fact, the summer camp will include dedicated time for lesson planning. You will work with a team to develop an implementation and adoption plan according to what is applicable in your school.
We're Hiring for the 2023 Camp!
UMGC is seeking to hire a group of independent contractors in the following temporary roles to assist in the preparation and administration of the camp. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to loyce.pailen@umgc.edu along with your resume and area of interest. We look forward to hearing from you!
Job Description: The lead instructor is the primary individual responsible for the education and training of the participants for the duration of the program. The lead instructor is accountable for developing the curriculum, planning and implementing the chosen learning plan and the professional development of the program staff, and providing feedback to instructors. The lead instructor (or their proxies approved by the GenCyber team) must attend all GenCyber PMO meetings (TBD). Travel funding is provided.
Estimated time commitment:
- Pre-Camp: 31 hours
- Camp Week: 30 hours
Job Description: Manage all exercises and direct all lab development; trains on various tools used in the camp, including VR activities.
Estimated time commitment:
- Pre-Camp: 31 hours
- Camp Week: 30 hours
Job Description: Identify and prepare pre-camp teacher training activities and daily support for the camp and follow-on activities (e.g. VR orientation and lab updates).
Estimated time commitment:
- Pre-Camp: 26 hours
- Camp Week: 30 hours
Job Description: The specific duties and responsibilities of a graduate student will vary depending on the needs of the lab manager they are working with.
Estimated time commitment:
- Camp Week: 12 hours
Job Description: Curriculum designers for pre-camp preparation and during-camp for assistance. One designer for the IT components and one designer for working with participants in the curricula at camp (as well as creating the curriculum for the participants themselves).
Estimated time commitment:
- 48 hours
Job Description: The assistant camp director organizes the recruitment, marketing, and logistics for camp preparation, establishes camp selection of participants, and assists with materials preparation before and during the camp. They will also support post-camp reporting and materials distribution, camp administration, including attendance, possible Zoom administration, breakout room oversight, guest speaker coordination, and other logistics.
Estimated time commitment:
- Pre-Camp: 30 hours
- Camp Week: 30 hours
Job Description: The K-12 expert should be involved in lesson planning and implementation for each of the non-technical disciplines, assisting camp participants, and helping identify best practices for dissemination, overcoming technological and administrative hurdles, etc.
The pedagogical expert will also support the crossover between cyber tech and non-technical disciplines. Duties will be to mentor teacher participants during camp week and follow-on activities. (English, foreign language, social studies, business, history, health and physical education, fine arts, library science, and possibly career advancement (advisor).
Estimated time commitment:
- Pre-Camp: 5 hours
- Camp Week: 15 hours
