Undergraduate Computer Security Course Enhancement
Project Summary
The proposed project aims at developing innovative learning materials for four undergraduate courses in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The four courses focus primarily on system security and information protection, but handle different domain areas, namely, i) security in general computing applications, ii) information security and the underlying enabling technology of cryptography, iii) hardening of operating systems, system vulnerabilities and safe system administration, and iv) security and intrusion detection in networks Internet. The learning materials will be developed for a new enrollment environment that allows and encourages students from Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, and Electrical Engineering to take these security courses. The learning materials will be developed and delivered using the rich facilities of the Center for Online and Virtual Education (COVE) of the College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS) at UCF. The project will use the following three tools to provide “Any Time, Any Place” education to the students:
- WebCT Vista for course management,
- FEEDS (Florida Engineering Education Delivery System) for distance learning, and
- Tegrity for capturing, storing and indexing every class for replay by the students using their PC’s, laptops, iPods or cell phones.
The salient feature of the proposed project is that it will use a modular curriculum with spiral feedback and refining approach. The learning materials will be based on the development of several instructional ‘modules’ which contain subject matters relevant to the four security courses. The modules will be carefully designed in a flexible way so that they can be synthesized suitably to be used in the four courses at various levels of details and for students of different backgrounds. The learning materials will include a rich set of laboratory exercises and projects to enhance the subject matter of the four courses and assist students in learning the emerging set of new security techniques and skills needed in today’s workforce. The subject modules will be accompanied by a pool of questions to support active learning assignments and an extensive set of acronyms and glossary to facilitate student learning. The development of the learning materials will be enhanced by using and refining methods derived from the existing knowledgebase on undergraduate security education and the resources available in public course repositories.
Assessment of the effectiveness of the developed learning materials will be carried out using the standard assessment tools on class performance (e.g., tests, quizzes, labs and assignments) and the extra online assessment and monitoring capability of WebCT Vista that provides detailed student tracking data, reports on individual students and how students navigate through the online materials. Motivation surveys and additional evaluations using questionnaires appropriate to security and trustworthiness will be used to complement the generic course evaluations conducted at UCF for each course.
Intellectual Merit
The proposed project will be carried out by qualified investigators with excellent track record of undergraduate curriculum development and strong research record in the areas of computer security and networks. The project is expected to produce exemplary materials for four undergraduate security-related courses targeted for students with different backgrounds in the Computer Science, Information Technology, and Computer Engineering programs. The project is based on a promising modular curriculum with spiral feedback and refining approach and will use a set of rich online facilities comprising WebCT Vista, FEEDS and Tegrity.
Broader Impacts
The project will contribute positively to the development of a security-proficient workforce and will help meet the increasing demand by the federal government, industry and academia for security administrators, counter-hacking professionals, and security researchers. The project will give us better understanding of how best to teach security courses to undergraduate students with different backgrounds using “Any Time, Any Place” online tools. The results of the project will be disseminated and shared with other universities through publications, presentations and websites.
Project Personnel
- Ratan Guha - PI
- Mostafa Bassiouni – Co-PI
- Arup Guha - Senior Personnel
- Bonnie Swan- Senior Personnel
- Shafaq Chaudhry – Graduate Assistant