Project Grant 2612956

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Purdue University $400,000 on October 15, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to develop a game-based simulation module for undergraduate cybersecurity education. The project will create a course-embedded learning environment in which students interact with campus-based scenarios involving virtual agents, identify suspicious social engineering behaviors, document evidence, report concerns, and design organizational policies that reduce risk while preserving legitimate work. The simulation will support instructor-configured scenario variants, enabling repeated practice and targeted feedback without rote repetition. Purdue will investigate conditions under which game-based experiential learning improves student recognition and mitigation of social engineering vulnerabilities and advance understanding of how scenario variation supports targeted practice. Expected outcomes include improved student learning about social engineering, stronger reasoning about security and workflow tradeoffs, and reusable instructional materials adoptable in other undergraduate cybersecurity courses. The award period runs from October 15, 2026, through September 30, 2029, with place of performance in West Lafayette, Indiana.