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Information Assurance Faculty Development Workshop Abstract

The Information Assurance Center at Iowa State University received support from the National Science Foundation to create an “Information Assurance Educational Support Program.” Faculty members from universities in the Midwest participate in an intensive workshop on information assurance and security education, with the goal of introducing security concepts into courses in their academic departments. Participants were given access to streaming media version of the lectures from four of our core security classes. They also received support material to help integrate the subject material into their existing courses. Our target audience includes faculty members who are teaching computer science, computer engineering, information systems, or related fields, and are committed to initiating education or research efforts in security in their own departments. We have offered the workshop four times to a total over 60 faculty members from around the United States. This paper will describe the workshop, the intended outcomes, feedback from the faculty involved, the curriculum, and future plans. We will also discuss issues related to recruiting faculty, integration of faculty with different backgrounds, and ongoing faculty support.

Introduction

The growing need for information security professionals is well documented. Few universities offer a comprehensive program in information assurance and security. The end result is a severe shortage of graduates proficient in the technology and policy issues critical to the security of the information infrastructure. While several universities have started programs to address these needs, this only solves a small part of the problem. According to the National Strategy to Secure CyberSpace1 released by the President of United States in 2003, “Many cyber vulnerabilities exist because of a lack of cyber security awareness on the part of computer users, systems administrators, technology developers, procurement officials, auditors, chief information officers, chief executive officers, and corporate boards. Such awareness-based vulnerabilities present serious risks to critical infrastructure regardless of whether they exist within the infrastructure itself. A lack of trained personnel and the absence of widely accepted, multi-level certification programs for cyber security professionals complicate the task of addressing cyber vulnerabilities.” In response to the national need to increase the number of graduates who are knowledgeable about security issues, Iowa State University and its Information Assurance Center created the Information Assurance Educational Support Program.

The Information Assurance Educational Support Program provides an opportunity for faculty from other universities to receive an education in information assurance with the goal of being able to teach the core concepts to their students. Participants engage in a two day workshop during the summer designed to explore the issues associated with teaching information assurance, and to provide assistance in developing new courses or integrating security concepts into existing courses. As added help, we provide access to several of our core graduate security courses that are offered via distance education. This includes the videotaped lectures offered through streaming video, on-line chat room support, lecture notes, lab experiments and sample test questions.

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Jacobson, D., & Daniels, T. (2006, June), Information Assurance Faculty Development Workshop Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--1157