Partners in this ATE regional center for cybersecurity education include Prince George's Community College, Anne Arundel Community College, the Community College of Baltimore County, Montgomery College, Northern Virginia Community College, George Mason University, George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, the University of Maryland, five Cisco Academy high schools, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The center is:
* developing and implementing, at the community colleges, a cybersecurity curriculum, a computer forensics course, a disaster recovery management course, a cyber law course, and related modules that are aligned with CNSS/NSTISSC standards (specifically, NSTISSI No. 4011);
* providing internships for community college students and externships and other professional development for faculty in the various technical areas of information assurance and computer forensics;
* sponsoring cyber defense and Digital Forensic Cup competitions;
* developing a comprehensive and replicable security awareness program on each community college campus;
* creating educational pathways from high schools to community colleges to four-year institutions or the job market; and
* implementing technology to assist with interactive teaching and learning.
The center's curriculum employs problem-based and case-based learning methodologies in order to provide students with activities that simulate real-life work experiences. The center is serving colleges throughout the Washington-Baltimore region by taking its wireless LAN with security components on the road, providing the equipment for wireless training, renting space on its virtual security lab, and offering training opportunities to educators. Because the region and its community colleges have such a diverse population, educational activities aimed at faculty, high school teachers, and students are reaching populations that are traditionally less likely to major in fields having an information assurance component.
The regional benefits of this center include the consistent education of students who, after graduating from a participating college's program, have the skills needed to meet the specialized requirements of the security industry. Collaboration of the community colleges with the universities--especially the NSA Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance--ensures that an information technology workforce with cybersecurity skills at all levels is available for the region's many employers.
