Cyber Security on a Budget: Tool Identification and Constraint Considerations

this multifaceted project has investigated a number of security-related instruments in order to build a set of recommended tools for Information Technology practitioners constrained by minimal resources. Criteria for tool selection were identified, including operational complexity and reusability, to refine the possibilities found to a workable number of options. This list was largely informed by several available well-known platforms and suites; a secondary goal was to define a toolkit suitable for classroom instruction. Initial investigation led to the identification of the Raspberry Pi and Kali Linux. This combination provided a very large range of options and a portable/mobile capability. The main challenges to this project revolved around two goals: (1) locating tools that had little to no cost, and (2) identification of tools that are both easy to learn and suitable for those looking to create more secure network and host configurations with limited time, expertise, and financial resources

Do simple word features predict dialogue acts among students working together?

Is it possible for a computer to tell when students working together online are engaging with each other in their conversation? The Computer-Mediated Problem-Solving (COMPS) project is working to address that question. The goal is to have the computer figuratively look over the shoulders of students at work, judging whether they are more-or-less on task. This student project works with dialogue acts that typify students working productively, e.g. sharing ideas, negotiating, directing the problem solving task. The experiment uses transcripts of 1200 turns of synchronous dialogue, students type-chatting together solving exercises in a computer programming class. These transcripts have been manually pre-tagged showing which turns exhibit which dialogue behaviors. We then tabulate common words and phrases which are statistically associated with these behaviors. As a simple example, a common word like but might be associated with students disagreeing with each other, which would be a type of negotiating dialogue act, which would be expected from students engaging with each other in a problem-solving activity. The research question is then: are these word features predictive of the same dialogue acts in other contexts? Does the association discovered in the training data help to identify the same behaviors in conversations between different students solving different problems? We test the hypothesis using other synchronous dialogues of different students solving the same and different computer programming problems. We then test further, using threaded discussion board postings where students asynchronously discuss different topics

Cyber Security on a Budget: Tool Identification and Constraint Considerations

this multifaceted project has investigated a number of security-related instruments in order to build a set of recommended tools for Information Technology practitioners constrained by minimal resources. Criteria for tool selection were identified, including operational complexity and reusability, to refine the possibilities found to a workable number of options. This list was largely informed by several available well-known platforms and suites; a secondary goal was to define a toolkit suitable for classroom instruction. Initial investigation led to the identification of the Raspberry Pi and Kali Linux. This combination provided a very large range of options and a portable/mobile capability. The main challenges to this project revolved around two goals: (1) locating tools that had little to no cost, and (2) identification of tools that are both easy to learn and suitable for those looking to create more secure network and host configurations with limited time, expertise, and financial resources

Geology Samples database website

Our project creates a website of the rocks and minerals in the Valparaiso University Geography department\u27s collection. Students can refer to these samples when they are in class, doing homework, or even in the field. Information for each sample includes date collected, location it was collected, the collection coordinates, who it was collected by, the sample type, its general type, what kind of rock or mineral it is, the weathering process and general notes and comments. There are also some warnings to show the dangers of some samples and that students need to be careful when handling them. Students will be able to pull up the website and see this information, along with a search function that will pull up the rocks and minerals of what you searched for. What is interesting about this project is that students of Valparaiso university will be able to pull this up when they are in the field. The website will take the information that is provided by the Geography department in a spreadsheet and format it for students to use and read. It will also have a feature where the professor can add new mineral samples to the spreadsheet and the website will then update to include that new information for all who access it