Collaborative Research: Stimulating Wide Interest in Computer Science Using Computer Security

本项目开发了一门创新的、引人入胜的计算机安全课程，名为“数字线程”。与其他安全课程（如国家安全局认证的信息保障学术卓越中心开发的课程）相比，本课程设计的主要区别在于，该课程的先决条件显著降低。学习这门入门课程的学生将了解提供安全可靠的计算服务的基本原理和技术。该项目的目标包括确定和满足未来技术经理和政策制定者的计算机安全教育需求；确定需要教授哪些概念，以及如何有效地向新手教授计算机安全；并探索利用服务性学习来吸引和兴趣来自高校各个角落的学生。该项目制定了一个高中外展计划，以激发早期对计算机科学和信息技术领域的兴趣。预期的结果包括为计算机科学专业的学生提供更好的安全教育，这将改善商业计算机安全市场，并刺激这些毕业生进行更多的学术研究；高中生对计算机科学和信息技术领域的兴趣增加；增加了女性和少数族裔计算机科学专业学生的保留率。建议的方法是培养未来的技术政策领导者和管理人员；增加目前缺乏计算机安全课程的大学的计算机安全课程；提高各学科对计算机安全需求的认识；并吸引了计算机科学系以外的学生的兴趣。

Computer Science (31) This project develops an innovative, engaging, computer security course called Digital Threads. A principal difference in the design of this course, when compared to other security curricula such as those developed at the National Security Agency certified Centers for Academic Excellence in Information Assurance, is the significant reduction in prerequisites for the course. Students taking this introductory course will gain an understanding of the foundational principles and technologies for providing secure and dependable computing services.The project objectives include defining and satisfying the computer security educational needs of future technology managers and policy developers; determining what concepts need to be taught, and how computer security can be effectively taught to novices; and exploring of the use of service learning to attract and interest students from all corners of colleges and universities. The project develops a high-school outreach program to spur early interest in the computer science and information technology field.Anticipated outcomes include better security education for computer science majors, which will improve the commercial computer security marketplace as well as stimulating more academic research by those graduates; increased interest, by high-school students, in the field of computer science and information technology; and increased retention of female and minority computer science students. The proposed approach educates future technology policy leaders and managers; increases offering of computer security courses at colleges that currently lack such offerings; improves awareness, across the disciplines, of the need for computer security; and attracts interest from students outside computer science departments.