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School systems work to develop cyber security curriculum [The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.](Augusta Chronicle (GA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 20--Staying abreast of global trends in the digital world, educators in Richmond and Columbia counties are working to create new coursework that will train high school students to protect computer networks from security threats. Leaders from school systems in each county collaborated with Fort Gordon, Georgia Regents University and Augusta Technical College to design a curriculum for cyber security, which has been submitted to the Georgia Board of Education for review and approval. The new coursework was prompted by the relocation of the Army Cyber Command headquarters from the Washington, D.C., area to Fort Gordon and a growing presence of cyber defense industries in the area. The cyber education initiative is an effort to make the schools more attractive to families moving to Augusta, and to provide students a path toward a career with ample job opportunities in the area, said Todd Boudreau, a retired military expert in cyber security who works at the Fort Gordon Cyber Center of Excellence. He helped design the coursework with local school officials. "If this is an area that's going to have a lot of jobs, you want people who have lived here all their lives to be able to get those jobs," Boudreau said. Though the curriculum is not finalized, educators have planned for three courses plus an internship. Beginning in ninth grade, students choosing the cyber security pathway would take an introduction to digital technology class, which already exists for other career pathways. An introduction to cyber security and advanced cyber security courses would be new. Students would learn basic skills of computer networks, Web programming, cyber security practices, ethics, malware threats, cryptology, risk management and other principles. The curriculum goes before the state education board in November, and the board will decide whether to open it for a 60-day public comment period, said Julie Kenny, a coordinator for career, technical and agriculture education for the Columbia County school system. If approved in January, the pathway could be implemented for the 2015-16 school year. In Columbia County, the cyber security pathway would begin at Greenbrier and Grovetown high schools, Kenny said. Some current teachers would get certification to teach the courses, and new hires are possible, she said. "This is the way the future's going. We want to have our students work ready," she said. Richmond County Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Debbie Alexander said the school system has not identified which schools would offer the pathway. The district is also focused on starting extracurricular clubs where students compete in cyber activities, she said. Alexander said results of a survey showed parents and students were strongly interested in the cyber field. While the high school pathway will prepare students for jobs after graduating, Boudreau said post-secondary education in the field will be increasingly important as more professionals are trained for cyber security and the workforce shortage lessens. GRU has been developing an undergraduate cyber security curriculum since the early 2000s, said Carol Rychly, its vice president for academic and faculty affairs. Students can earn a basic or advanced certificate in cyber security, which were approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and started in fall 2013. ___ (c)2014 The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.) Visit The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.) at chronicle.augusta.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |