Abstract:

Empowerment Technologies 1 (EMTECH1) is a subject included in the curriculum of the senior high school program under the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) track in De La Salle University in Manila. Under EMTECH1, the topic Cybercitizenship is currently being taught in Grade 11 classes. Cybercitizenship constitutes two subtopics: Netiquette and Online Personal Safety and Security. These topics delve in the implemented ethics that inspects moral, legal, and social issues in the improvement and application of cyber technology and on the types of cyberattacks commonly encountered by people and practices to avoid these attacks.

Given the current limitations in the course design, the researchers deemed it necessary to propose an alternative set of learning outcomes for the course to better fit the students' needs. Although the topic coverage in the course is comprehensive, issues still arise in the delivery of lessons. Consequently, this thesis project involved the design and development of a teachware for the use of EMTECH1 professors in De La Salle University in teaching Cybercitizenship, given the revised learning outcomes. NetSafe is an instructional media application that addresses the difficulty of teachers in dividing the components of scenarios in cyberspace into a consistent and systematic procedure, as well as address challenges in presenting certain lessons and activities due to the nature of the topic. A theoretical framework was created to serve as a blueprint for teachware, which indicates the flow of lessons and activities using Activity Theory for dissecting scenarios into components, Attribution Theory for the simulation of the symptoms or effects of cyberattacks, and Case Based Learning approach for the manipulation of variables for the different cases in online safety and security. A variety of instructional strategies were incorporated in the teachware, including animated videos in explaining important concepts, library of scenarios, interactive tables for dissecting scenarios, and a sandbox for cyberattacks simulation.

The researchers used the ADDIE model in building the teachware and perform necessary activities such as analyze the current learning situation, identify teaching problems, design instructional strategies, develop interactive media components, and evaluate the resulting application. The system was well received and the instructors who used the system found it easy to use, considering both the teachware's content and functionality.

Keywords:

Cybercitizenship, netiquette, instructional design, teachware.