Remotely the Same? Going Virtual with a Cybercamp in a Pandemic

Abstract

Summer camps and other week-long activities are popular ways to introduce cybersecurity to middle- or high-school aged children. Such experiences have traditionally been conducted in-person, with many having residency components and evening activities. The COVID-19 pandemic brought these traditional experiences to an abrupt halt. To support and promote continued education in the face of the global pandemic many such in-person camps – as well as higher-education courses – precipitously migrated to online remote learning. The shift presented challenges beyond simply preparing and posting content online. This case study examines the challenges, solutions, and lessons learned from morphing a successful hands-on residential NSA GenCyber digital forensics summer camp to a fully online remote learning "camp".