Cybersecurity arcade game aims to improve high school students’ skills in English and math | Los Angeles Times - Education

Photo: Priscella Vega

"Coastline Community College has created a cybersecurity-themed online game to help improve area high school students’ English and math skills" says Priscella Vega, education reporter for the Daily Pilot.

Drake Sisk, 14, a freshman at Early College High School in Costa Mesa, says Cyber Attack is an entertaining way to practice educational skills.
Photo: Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer

“Cyber Attack” quizzes players about grammar and math. If players answer correctly, they stop a hacker from compromising a bank’s security data. If they answer incorrectly, the bank’s information is compromised.

Plans to create the online game began in 2014 when the Fountain Valley-based college noticed students interested in its cybersecurity program were performing poorly in math and English.

“They didn’t think it was a problem,” said Judy Garvey, who leads Coastline’s Extended Learning team. “We needed some kind of fun way to prepare them for the placement tests and brush up on math and English skills.” 

The college received a grant from Orange County Pathways — an organization that connects educators with business leaders — to create the game.

Initially, faculty developed about 200 questions per subject. With money to spare, Garvey said they took it a step further by sprucing up the graphics for both the online version and the eight arcade-style machines they made. Those have been loaned to Early College, Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach high schools.
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Source: Los Angeles Times