Multinational perspectives on information technology from academia and industry

As the term \u27information technology\u27 has many meanings for various stakeholders and continues to evolve, this work presents a comprehensive approach for developing curriculum guidelines for rigorous, high quality, bachelor\u27s degree programs in information technology (IT) to prepare successful graduates for a future global technological society. The aim is to address three research questions in the context of IT concerning (1) the educational frameworks relevant for academics and students of IT, (2) the pathways into IT programs, and (3) graduates\u27 preparation for meeting future technologies. The analysis of current trends comes from survey data of IT faculty members and professional IT industry leaders. With these analyses, the IT Model Curricula of CC2005, IT2008, IT2017, extensive literature review, and the multinational insights of the authors into the status of IT, this paper presents a comprehensive overview and discussion of future directions of global IT education toward 2025

A Process-Based Approach to ABET Accreditation: A Case Study of a Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Program

ABET accreditation has become a well-known standard for academic programs not only in the U.S. but also across the globe. Instantiating the processes to systematically improve the quality of programs is a daunting task for higher education institutions. In this contribution, we provide a detailed process-based framework that can assist aspiring institutions to embed quality in their processes leading to ABET accreditation. Our contribution is a novel framework for a process-based approach to quality assurance, as most of the published literature is primarily concerned with the experience of ABET accreditation of a solitary program. However, in this paper, we have presented a generic framework that ABET aspiring programs can instantiate in their preparation for ABET accreditation. We have validated these processes in our successful ABET accreditation application of the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics program. Our existing ABET-accredited programs were following old ABET criteria and the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics program must apply based on the new criteria proposed by ABET. Another novelty of our contribution is that it is based on our work for the first application cycle for ABET cybersecurity-related programs, so the findings of our contribution may assist other aspiring cybersecurity related academic programs to well prepare in their ABET accreditation pursuit

Game Based Learning for Safety and Security Education

Safety and security education are important part of technology related education, because of recent number of increase in safety and security related incidents. Game based learning is an emerging and rapidly advancing forms of computer-assisted instruction. Game based learning for safety and security education enables students to learn concepts and skills without the risk of physical injury and security breach. In this paper, a pedestal grinder safety game and physical security game have been developed using industrial standard modeling and game development software. The average score of the knowledge test of grinder safety game was 82%, which is higher than traditional lecture only instruction method. In addition, the survey of physical security game shows 84% average satisfaction ratio from high school students who played the game during the summer camp. The results of these studies indicated that game based learning method can enhance students' learning without potential harm to the students

Constructing a Methodology for Developing a Cybersecurity Program

This paper serves to introduce the problem of constructing a methodology to develop a cybersecurity program. The goal of the program is to prepare students graduating from an accredited two-year college for success in cybersecurity careers. Several challenges must be addressed such as program accreditation, workforce development, and DHS/NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation. All of these serve as inputs in constructing a methodology to develop such a program to meet local industry needs for cyber professional

DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL FORENSICS LAB TO SUPPORT ACTIVE LEARNING

The curriculum of a program in Information technology must be current and competitive to remain relevant and valuable. The authors of this paper explored the research related to the rationale to supplement higher education theoretical knowledge of digital forensics with opportunities for students in technology related programs to gains some hands-on experience. The paper also used the widely accepted learning theories of active learning and constructivism to assist in the decision to build a hands-on digital forensics lab environment. An explanation of the processes, opportunities, challenges, and outcomes are available in the Lab design section. Finally the paper concludes with implications for students and recommendations for other higher education institutions that are considering enhancing theory with practical hands-on learning opportunities

Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, and Mobile Computing: Building the Pipeline of Next-generation University Graduates through Focused High School Summer Camps

To prepare the next generation of skilled university graduates that would help in filling the national need for cybersecurity, digital forensics, and mobile computing professionals, a team of minority/under-represented graduate students, the University Upward Bound Program (a federally funded program and part of the U.S. Department of Education; one of 967 programs nationwide) staff, and faculty from the Computer Science (CS) department got together and proposed a focused 10-week long funded summer camp for two local high schools with the following objectives: 1. Provide graduate students to instruct in the areas of` mobile application development, forensics and cyber Security. 2. Provide CS one-on-one mentors for students while conducting their work-based learning experience in Computer Science. 3. Assign hands-on interdisciplinary projects that emphasize the importance of STEM fields when using and developing software applications. 4. Promote and develop soft skills among participants including leadership, communications skills, and teamwork. The proposal was funded, by DOE and the summer camps were conducted in the summer of 2019 with participation of more than 40 students from two local high schools. The paper will present our efforts in each of the above areas: 1. The criteria/application/selection of high school student based on interest and needs. 2. The criteria/specification for purchased equipment 3. The selection and hiring of graduate students as instructors who can not only teach, but also serve as role models for the incoming students. 4. The development of course material into two parts: foundational material required by everyone, and specialized material where the student selects his/her area of interest. Presented results will show how the summer-camps benefited the students through the focused instruction given by graduate students, and how the students gained valuable knowledge and problem-solving skills in certain STEM fields. 5. The mentorship provided by the CS faculty to the instructors and the students through scheduled visits and an agile approach for the software projects assigned. 6. The development of soft skills to complement technical one

Gamifying Cybersecurity Course Content for Entry Level Students

The growing shortage of skilled professionals in cybersecurity and forensics has increased global demand for information systems professionals. In an effort to identify and attract more students to cybersecurity and forensics programs, the authors developed a game engine along with a GUI-based game creator to generate a sequence of entertaining, engaging, and educational games, suitable for forensics and cybersecurity courses. This multi-partner project is funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award DUE-1400567. This paper introduces the design and development of a browser-based educational game framework using game-based learning approach. Several digital forensic games will be introduced to demonstrate how students will conduct forensic investigation by following narrative and storylines of the game via interactive dialogs and using real tools and technologies. The GUI-based game creator allows educators to create and develop new educational games in any subject field by only focusing on game content

Roadmap for NIS education programmes in Europe:education

This document continues work from previous activities by suggesting training materials, scenarios and a way forward for implementing the EC roadmap for NIS education in Europe. In doing so, the Agency has recognised the heterogeneous landscape of Europe in this area

Educating the effective digital forensics practitioner: academic, professional, graduate and student perspectives

Over the years, digital forensics has become an important and sought-after profession where the gateway of training and education has developed vastly over the past decade. Many UK higher education (HE) institutions now deliver courses that prepare students for careers in digital forensics and, in most recent advances, cyber security. Skills shortages and external influences attributed within the field of cyber security, and its relationship as a discipline with digital forensics, has shifted the dynamic of UK higher education provisions. The implications of this now sees the route to becoming a digital forensic practitioner, be it in law enforcement or business, transform from on-the-job training to university educated, trained analysts. This thesis examined courses within HE and discovered that the delivery of these courses often overlooked areas such as mobile forensics, live data forensics, Linux and Mac knowledge. This research also considered current standards available across HE to understand whether educational programmes are delivering what is documented as relevant curriculum. Cyber security was found to be the central focus of these standards within inclusion of digital forensics, adding further to the debate and lack of distinctive nature of digital forensics as its own discipline. Few standards demonstrated how the topics, knowledge, skills and competences drawn were identified as relevant and effective for producing digital forensic practitioners. Additionally, this thesis analyses and discusses results from 201 participants across five stakeholder groups: graduates, professionals, academics, students and the public. These areas were selected due to being underdeveloped in existing literature and the crucial role they play in the cycle of producing effective practitioners. Analysis on stakeholder views, experiences and thoughts surrounding education and training offer unique insight, theoretical underpinnings and original contributions not seen in existing literature. For example, challenges, costs and initial issues with introducing graduates to employment for the employers and/or supervising practitioners, the lack of awareness and contextualisation on behalf of students and graduates towards what knowledge and skills they have learned and acquired on a course and its practical application on-the-job which often lead to suggestions of a lack of fundamental knowledge and skills. This is evidenced throughout the thesis, but examples include graduates: for their reflections on education based on their new on-the-job experiences and practices; professionals: for their job experiences and requirements, academics: for their educational practices and challenges; students: their initial expectations and views; and, the public: for their general understanding. This research uniquely captures these perspectives, bolstering the development of digital forensics as an academic discipline, along with the importance these diverse views play in the overall approach to delivering skilled practitioners. While the main contribution to knowledge within this thesis is its narrative focusing on the education of effective digital forensic practitioners and its major stakeholders, this thesis also makes additional contributions both academically and professionally; including the discussion, analysis and reflection of: - improvements for education and digital forensics topics for research and curriculum development; - where course offerings can be improved for institutions offering digital forensic degree programmes; - the need for further collaboration between industry and academia to provide students and graduates with greater understanding of the real-life role of a digital forensic practitioner and the expectations in employment; - continuous and unique challenges within both academia and the industry which digital forensics possess and the need for improved facilities and tool development to curate and share problem and scenario-based learning studies

IOT Forensics Curriculum: Is It a Myth or Reality?

In this research paper, two questions are answered. The first question is Should universities invest in the preparation of an IoT forensics curriculum? . The second question is If the IoT forensics curriculum is worth investing in, what are the basic building steps in the development of an loT forensics curriculum? . To answer those questions, the authors conducted a comprehensive literature review spanning academia, the private sector, and non-profit organizations. The authors also performed semi-structured interviews with two experts from academia and the private sector. The results showed that because of the proliferation of IoT technology and the increasing number of attacks against loT devices, developing loT forensics curriculum should be considered by the universities. It is worth mentioning that loT forensics can be one of the main driving factors for securing IoT devices. However, because of the peculiarity and novelty of the domain, and the challenges of IoT forensics, it is difficult to prepare a course-centric curriculum at the very first step. Rather than doing this, universities can collaborate with various stakeholders from the private sector and government agencies to spot and study in real-world cases and let these cases build and evolve an IoT forensics curriculum