Constructivist Approach to the Design of Educational Cyber Ranges

The study substantiates and empirically tests the effectiveness of a constructivist approach to the design and use of educational cyber ranges as a tool for training information security specialists amid increasing cyber-threat complexity and competency shortages. The theoretical premise is that knowledge is constructed through activity and social interaction; therefore, a shift from instruction-algorithmic scenarios to open problem situations, team roles, and reflection should develop learners’ higher-order skills – heuristic thinking, metacognitive regulation, and cooperation. To test the hypothesis, a longitudinal pedagogical experiment was conducted at two technical universities with a sample of 412 students, randomly stratified into a control group (n = 206, traditional range) and an experimental group (n = 206, constructivist range); pre- and post-tests, log analysis, surveys, and focus groups were used, with statistical processing (t-test, Mann–Whitney U, Pearson/Spearman correlations) in SPSS 28.0. The results reveal no significant differences in mastering algorithmic tasks, while the experimental group substantially outperformed in heuristic tasks: accuracy 67.95% vs 48.73% and 4.15 vs 1.88 strategies generated (p < 0.001). Metacognitive indicators were higher in the experiment: reflection 7.84 vs 4.31 points, strategic planning 8.11 vs 5.02, adaptability index 0.78 vs 0.35 (all p < 0.001). The affective domain and engagement also increased: intrinsic motivation 6.35 vs 4.18, self-efficacy 6.09 vs 3.97 points (p < 0.001). Team competencies strengthened: quality of role allocation 4.33 vs 2.56; productive communication 41.7 vs 18.4 messages/hour; synergy 1.87 vs 1.12 (p < 0.001). The discussion notes that a constructivist cyber-range architecture ensures a qualitative shift from an “instruction-following operator” to a “researcher–architect” of security; practical recommendations include implementing open-ended scenarios, built-in reflection and tutor facilitation, revising assessment in favor of composite metrics, and preparing instructors for a new role. Limitations concern the contextual sample and the non-interventional nature of several measures; directions for scaling and replication are outlined.