Half Day Workshop: Approaches for Cyber Security Education

The discipline of cyber security is wide, very wide. From technical, to policy, to management, to workforce preparation, theory vs. hands-on, or is it a balance, this workshop is designed to open lines of discussion and share tactics, techniques, and procedures. This workshop will examine the use of Knowledge Units (KUs), part of the Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, as well as elements from the National Initiative on Cyber security Education (NICE). These two pillars provide frameworks for the development of foundational elements associated with curricula.

The purpose of this workshop is to create an environment where the leading academics can lend their voice to the discussion of what is needed in the realm of curricula development. This is a natural follow-on for the session covering the research aspects of the field. The academy has two primary functions – the development of new knowledge and the development of the people who will use and lead with that knowledge.

The discipline of cyber security is still in relative infancy, especially when one examines the edges of the discipline. Developing the correct foundations for education is a challenging task, one that needs the input from the diverse HICSS community of scholars. The current set of knowledge units and NICE definitions were developed in consultation with the academic community. The purpose of this workshop is to continue in that outreach endeavor, to allow participants the opportunity to provide feedback into the current system and to propose changes for the future. The need for multi-disciplinary contributions to the foundations of the program makes the HICSS conference an ideal location to solicit information for the future direction of information security education.

This workshop presents a venue for collaboration between a wide range of scholars, not just those deeply immersed in information security. As IT systems have grown into a ubiquitous part of our lives, so has information security. This workshop provides participants with a forum to exchange ideas, views and contribute to the repository of knowledge needed to shape the future education programs in this discipline. As the material covers not just technical, but challenging task and the social, societal, legal and regulatory aspects, there is room for all to come and engage in shaping the future of education efforts in this area.

More information on the workshop leaders:

Wm. Arthur Conklin is an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Information Security Research and Education in the College of Technology at the University of Houston. He holds two terminal degrees, a Ph.D. in Business Administration (specializing in Information Security), from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the degree Electrical Engineer (specializing in Space Systems Engineering) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He holds a variety of security certifications including GICSP, Security+, CISSP, CSSLP, CSDP, CRISC, DFCP, IAM and IEM. His research interests include the use of systems theory to explore information security, specifically in Cyber Physical Systems. He has co-authored six security books and numerous academic articles associated with information security. Currently he is working on Smart Grid grants from DOE in the area of workforce development and training. He has an extensive background in secure coding and is a co-chair of the DHS/DoD Software Assurance Forum working group for workforce education, training and development. He is active in the DHS sponsored Industrial Control Systems Joint Working Group (ICSJWG) efforts associated with workforce development and cybersecurity aspects of industrial control systems. A senior member of several professional societies including ACM, IEEE, ISACA and is a Fellow ISSA and the National Board of Information Security Examiners.

Tony Coulson is currently a professor and the Director of the Cyber Security Center at California State University San Bernardino. Having a well-earned reputation for not being a "typical" professor he has won numerous awards, grants and accolades for his innovative approaches in education and leadership in the Cybersecurity and technology fields. Prior to academia he was an entrepreneur, starting three companies before the age of 20 and one when he was 14 years old. Dr. Coulson has also had a successful career as an executive and CIO. As an academic he has worked hard to change learning and provide new opportunities for students. In 2008 he was a awarded a national Innovation in Teaching and Learning award. Dr. Coulson firmly believes in an interdisciplinary approach to technology education and has used that passion to make Cal State San Bernardino a recognized leader in Cyber Security.

As the Director of the Cal State San Bernardino Cyber Security Center, Tony has worked with industry and government to map out opportunities for students and Cyber Security strategies for the nation. Tony runs multiple grant programs that provide specialized skills to the Federal government as well as the DoD and private companies. Tony is also one of the founders of Cyberwatch West, a national Advanced Technology Education Center focusing on Cyber Security in the western United States. Cal State San Bernardino is also designated a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by DHS & NSA.