Cyberai innovation: expanding workforce pathways into cybersecurity and AI through an integrative career and technical education model

The National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education awarded the University of North Dakota $499,663 on October 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to develop, implement, and study an integrative model for embedding artificial intelligence and cybersecurity education into high school career and technical education pathways.

The project addresses a workforce pipeline gap by integrating AI and cybersecurity concepts into existing CTE programs in agriculture, health sciences, and manufacturing rather than as stand-alone computer science or information technology courses. This approach expands access to AI and cybersecurity education, particularly in rural areas such as North Dakota where many schools lack dedicated CS or IT teachers.

Deliverables include a summer professional development program for CTE teachers, collaborative lesson design with the project team, co-designed instructional units that embed AI and cybersecurity into CTE contexts, and a mixed-methods research study examining how non-computing-specialist teachers can effectively teach this content and how workforce-aligned student credentials can be developed and validated for non-CS and non-IT pathways. The study will employ repeated-measures teacher surveys, semi-structured interviews, and pre- and post-assessments to evaluate outcomes.

Performance occurs at the University of North Dakota's Grand Forks, North Dakota campus from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity are changing the nature of work across nearly every sector of the economy. However, many k-12 students still encounter these fields only through stand-alone computer science (CS) or information technology (IT) courses. This limits access, especially in rural states such as north dakota, where many schools do not have dedicated CS or IT teachers. At the same time, high school career and technical education (CTE) programs in areas such as agriculture, health sciences, and manufacturing reach many students who are preparing for the workforce but rarely include structured opportunities to learn AI and cybersecurity. This project will address this GAP by embedding AI and cybersecurity education into existing CTE programs. By expanding the pool of high school students who encounter cybersecurity and AI concepts within career-relevant contexts, the project will strengthen the national talent pipeline for cybersecurity and AI across multiple sectors. The project will develop, implement, and study an integrative model for teaching AI and cybersecurity within high school CTE pathways. CTE teachers will participate in a summer professional development program and engage in sustained collaborative lesson design with the project team. Teachers will CO-design instructional units that integrate AI and cybersecurity concepts into their CTE pathways and will teach these units in their regular classes. The study will examine how AI and cybersecurity can be meaningfully taught through authentic CTE contexts, how non-computing specialist CTE teachers can be supported to teach this content, and how a workforce-aligned student credential can be developed and validated for non-CS and non-IT pathways. A mixed-methods design will include repeated-measures teacher surveys, semi structured interviews, pre- and post-student assessments, and psychometric validation of an integrative CTE credential. This credential will give schools a practical incentive to sustain this instruction through existing perkins v accountability structures. This project is supported by the cyberaicorps scholarship for service (cyberai SFS) program which funds proposals to increase national capacity to educate and train professionals in artificial intelligence (AI) or cybersecurity, and to support their placement and retention in the cyberai mission of government organizations. The scholarship track funds academic institutions to award scholarships to students in exchange for their government service. The innovation track seeks transformative education proposals in the areas of AI, cybersecurity, or the integration of AI and cybersecurity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.