Foundations of Cybersecurity
In today's society, the Internet occupies an increasingly important position in people's lives. Students must understand the importance and principles of network security.
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In this undergraduate course, students will be introduced to learn about methods and strategies of cyber security at the hardware and software levels respectively.
After completing this course, students will understand the basic principles of network security, be familiar with various network transmission protocols, understand the importance of network security during the course and case study, and be able to apply what they have learned to their daily online life.
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This course was designed in collaboration with subject matter expert, Lei Shi, for the final project of "designing online learning for higher education," a graduate-level course at New York University.
Design Process
Analysis
Learner Analysis
Given that this course is a foundations course for undergraduate students, the expectation is that the course will have a diverse group of learners. Some will be non-majors with no experience and others may be pursuing a career
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Using NYU Steinhardt's Persona template, the team created two personas based on these two backgrounds.
Learning Goals,
Objectives, and Outcomes
Understand the basic principles of network security, and deepen their theoretical understanding
Objectives:
Comprehend the knowledge of network security strategy, security elements, and security architecture; And be able to apply the content of the course learning to life, have the awareness of maintaining a network security environment.
Outcome:
Recognizing the principles and importance of network security, maintaining network security starts from oneself.
Design
Cybersecurity is a vast field with a multitude of concepts and techniques to learn. As part of this 6-week course, 6 fundamental topics were carefully selected that will provide students with a solid foundation in network security. The aim is to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of these topics by the end of the course.
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The selection of course content was carefully curated to ensure that it caters to the students' background level while providing a meaningful learning experience. In addition to using professional teaching materials, prioritizing accessibility and ease of comprehension was crucial to consider in the design. Fostering students' interest in network security is just as crucial as imparting knowledge. To this end, incorporating engaging classroom activities and testing methods will keep students motivated and enhance their learning experience.
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Module Breakdown
The modules and content were designed using the LEML toolkit to give a visual representation and make sure a variety of tasks and assignments were incorporated into the design.
Development
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Brightspace
Using NYU's current LMS, Brightspace, the course was developed as if this was a real-life course offering from NYU Tandon School of Engineering. ​
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Theory
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An asynchronous cybersecurity traditionally might be approached in a more behaviorist lens. However, the focus of this course was designed to engage learners in a more meaningful way. The traditional instructionist approach to textbook learning is contrasted with the sociocultural theory of learning, which emphasizes collaboration and socialization. The course uses project-based learning to encourage problem-solving and critical thinking, and multiple intelligences theory to provide a variety of learning resources that appeal to different types of learners. The final project challenges students to apply their knowledge in a simulated scenario and develop their own solutions. Overall, the course aims to blend traditional practices with a sociocultural approach to create a more engaging and effective learning experience.
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For a deeper look into the learning research and theories, feel free to review my analysis report on this course design.
Course Breakdown
Course Information
By breaking down the syllabus into subsections, it creates digestible chunks that reduce cognitive load and easier to navigate. The course also gives learners the information for their final group project.
Structure
Each module has a similar sequencing for consistency and clarity:
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Introduction
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Required Reading
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Practice
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Group Discussion
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Case Study
Online Lecture
Each module has a introductory lecture from the professor similar to a synchronous learning experience. This gives learners expert and unique content from the subject matter expert instead of a textbook.
Group Discussion
To encourage more of a social learning atmosphere, a weekly discussion is required of students. These discussions include resources and materials outside of the required/ textbook.
For example, week one breaks down the importance of cyber security through infographics. These examples give the learner a bigger picture and impact of cyber security in a real-life perspective.
Final Group Project
Cyber Security
Team Simulation
In this project, students need to judge the types of network security problems encountered by the company through video and analyze the problems encountered professionally.
Students need to collect data, conduct investigations, and make professional suggestions in their respective positions through different divisions of responsibilities.
Your group will need to come up with viable solutions to current security issues. At the same time, it provides preventive suggestions for preventing the same type of problems that may occur in the future.