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This paper introduces SYNAPSE, an adaptive tutoring platform designed for secure software development education, specifically catering to neurodivergent learners. By integrating multiple large language models (LLMs) through the Model Context Protocol and employing a Socratic hint policy, SYNAPSE facilitates a tailored learning experience that emphasizes accessibility and practical skills in vulnerability detection and remediation. A pilot study with neurodivergent and neurotypical participants demonstrated high usability and engagement, suggesting that SYNAPSE effectively supports diverse learning needs in cybersecurity education.
SYNAPSE achieves a remarkable balance of accessibility and engagement, scoring 76.4 on usability while effectively teaching secure software development to both neurodivergent and neurotypical learners.
Developers who maintain real systems must continually recognise and remediate vulnerabilities in existing code, yet this skill is rarely trained directly: secure software development is commonly taught only after programming fluency is acquired, and accessibility support is treated as a secondary concern, disadvantaging learners with ADHD and related executive-function differences. This paper presents SYNAPSE, a publicly deployed adaptive tutoring platform for Java, Python for cybersecurity, and secure software development. SYNAPSE coordinates Claude, GPT-4o, and Gemini through the Model Context Protocol, routing interactions by pedagogical intent under a three-stage Socratic hint policy. It exposes eighteen always-visible accessibility features and anchors practice in ShopSecure, a deliberately vulnerable web application mapped to six OWASP Top 10 (2021) categories, on which learners practise the detect-understand-remediate loop characteristic of software maintenance. A feasibility pilot with nineteen participants across neurodivergent and neurotypical cohorts returned a System Usability Scale score of 76.4 and engagement of 4.2/5, with comparable cognitive-load levels across cohorts. SYNAPSE is available at https://synapse-course.com; a screencast is available at https://youtu.be/9R17KC47qQI.
