README

Ryan Straight, Ph.D

Cyber Dimensions Case Study Demo

This repository demonstrates the Cyber Dimensions methodology through a complete case study implementation. The approach centers on artifact-based learning where students engage with realistic cybersecurity incidents through authentic documentation formats.

For comprehensive guidance on the methodology, consult the Cyber Dimensions OER Toolkit—it provides the pedagogical foundations you’ll want to understand before customizing this demonstration.

Quick Start

The CIRCUIT case study is a cybersecurity incident affecting the Ribera Municipal Utilities in Ribera, Arizona. Demonstrates tech journalism formats, dynamic worldbuilding systems, and progressive learning scaffolding.

Prerequisites

• Quarto for building the case study materials
• R installation (for customizing worldbuilding variables)
• Modern web browser for viewing the rendered case study

Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/ryanstraight/cyber-dimensions-demo
cd cyber-dimensions-demo
quarto render

View Results

Open docs/index.html in your browser to explore the case study.

Key Features

The demo incorporates several innovations in cybersecurity education:

• Dynamic worldbuilding generates all scenario details from centralized configuration—customize locations, characters, and organizations while maintaining narrative consistency
• Tech journalism format employs professional technology media presentation styles students encounter in practice
• Progressive cognitive scaffolding implements a three-stage learning approach that manages complexity through careful sequencing
• Posthuman assessment framework recognizes distributed agency in cybersecurity, moving beyond individual-focused evaluation
• Integrated media literacy treats technical communication analysis as a core competency

What’s Included

Complete Case Study: CIRCUIT

CIRCUIT: The Ribera Power Grid Incident is presented in three coordinated parts:

• Introduction: Context, methodology, and learning framework
• Content: Six authentic artifacts documenting the complete incident
• Assignment: Assessment framework with analysis questions

Educational Features

Students analyze authentic artifacts including SCADA logs, email threads, conference calls, regulatory filings, federal alerts, and GRID WIRE coverage. The assessment framework employs a posthuman cybersecurity evaluation approach that recognizes distributed agency across human and technological actors.

The learning progression follows three stages:

1. Technical analysis - Focus on SCADA logs, emails, and regulatory documents
2. Media analysis - Add critical evaluation of tech journalism coverage
3. Integrated synthesis - Complete cross-artifact analysis and policy recommendations

Enhanced accessibility features ensure screen reader compatibility through proper semantic markup and alt-text.

Worldbuilding Innovation

The worldbuilding system employs over 100 dynamic variables for complete scenario customization. Here’s what makes it work:

• YAML-driven customization - Edit _worldbuilding.yml to change locations, names, and organizations
• Six fully developed personas - Consistent character relationships across all artifacts
• Fictional organizations - Federal agencies (DCI, ICSERT), the GRID WIRE media outlet, advocacy groups
• R pre-render automation - Scripts ensure consistency across all artifacts during build

The trick is you can generate entirely new scenarios while maintaining the pedagogical structure.

Technical Features

• Multi-format outputs - HTML (default), PDF, and DOCX with cross-platform compatibility
• Quarto website architecture - Professional navbar navigation and responsive design
• R integration - Pre-render scripts enable dynamic content generation
• Tech magazine styling - Professional media format appearance
• Accessibility compliance - Proper semantic markup, alt-text, and cross-references
• Fast builds - Complete rendering in under two minutes for rapid iteration

Educational Approach

The pedagogical approach centers on artifact-based learning where students engage with realistic documents that mirror professional cybersecurity practice. Students analyze technical logs, emails, and reports while encountering multiple stakeholder perspectives across government, utility, and federal levels. The authentic incident progression demonstrates multi-organizational response patterns that characterize real cybersecurity incidents.

Posthuman assessment recognizes distributed agency in cybersecurity, moving beyond traditional individual-focused evaluation to examine how human and technological actors collaborate in complex sociotechnical systems.

Tech Media as Pedagogy

Technology journalism serves as an innovative format for cybersecurity education, employing narrative-driven technical content that presents complex concepts through accessible storytelling. Students develop media literacy by analyzing how technical information translates to public communication, examining the rhetorical choices that shape cybersecurity discourse.

Professional writing models demonstrate industry-standard tech communication examples that students encounter in professional practice. The custom GRID WIRE publication provides authentic media outlet presentation for case study materials.

Learning Objectives

1. Distributed Agency Analysis: Human-technology assemblages in action
2. Multi-Stakeholder Coordination: Infrastructure governance complexity
3. Posthuman Ethics Application: Relational responsibility frameworks
4. Response Strategy Development: Recognizing technological agency
5. Media Literacy & Communication: Tech journalism’s role in cybersecurity discourse

Customization

Implementation Guide

The learning progression builds complexity systematically through three stages:

1. Technical analysis - Students focus on SCADA logs, emails, and regulatory documents to establish foundational understanding
2. Media analysis - Adds GRID WIRE coverage and communication strategy evaluation, developing critical media literacy skills
3. Integrated synthesis - Complete cross-artifact analysis and policy recommendations demonstrating sophisticated understanding

The assessment framework provides complete rubrics with media literacy criteria alongside the five learning objectives. Progressive complexity develops through staged assignments with concept scaffolding—including prerequisites and worked examples for complex posthuman theoretical concepts.

Customization Examples

Instructors can adapt the case study through several approaches:

Location and character modifications:

• Edit city_name: "Ribera" and state_name: "Arizona" in _worldbuilding.yml
• Update character variables like it_manager_name_first: "Maria"
• Adjust organizational names: utility_name, vendor_company_name, tech_magazine_name

Technical complexity adjustments:

• Modify artifact descriptions in circuit-content.qmd
• Revise questions in circuit-assignment.qmd for different skill levels
• Customize media format through tech_magazine_tagline or publication style

Quick adaptation process:

1. Edit _worldbuilding.yml to change scenario details
2. Run quarto render to generate updated materials
3. Test consistency—verify all artifacts reflect changes through dynamic content generation

Adding More Cases

Expanding the collection involves these steps:

1. Create new .qmd files with additional case studies using the established worldbuilding pattern
2. Add to _worldbuilding.yml to create new characters, locations, organizations, timelines
3. Update _quarto.yml to include new chapters in website navigation
4. Follow the artifact-based approach demonstrated in the Cyber Dimensions Toolkit OER and this CIRCUIT case
5. Apply the five learning objectives across all cases to maintain assessment framework consistency

License

This demo is released under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

You are free to:

1. Share— copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
2. Adapt— remix, transform, and build upon the material
3. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

1. Attribution— You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
2. NonCommercial— You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
3. ShareAlike— If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same licenseas the original.
4. No additional restrictions— You may not apply legal terms or technological measuresthat legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:

You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.

No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rightsmay limit how you use the material.

Citation

Straight, R. M. (2025). Cyber Dimensions Case Study Demo: CIRCUIT: The Ribera Power Grid Incident. https://github.com/ryanstraight/cyber-dimensions-demo

@software{straightCyberDimensionsDemo2025,
  author = {Straight, Ryan M.},
  title = {Cyber Dimensions Case Study Demo: CIRCUIT: The Ribera Power Grid Incident},
  year = {2025},
  publisher = {GitHub},
  url = {https://github.com/ryanstraight/cyber-dimensions-demo},
  note = {Complete educational resource demonstrating posthuman cybersecurity pedagogy through realistic artifacts and dynamic worldbuilding}
}

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Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Documentation: Full OER Toolkit
• Academic context: University of Arizona Cyber Operations Program