As a National Security Agency designated Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE), the Center for Information Security Education and Research (CISER) at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is making significant contributions to the production of information assurance (IA) qualified professionals. Through this project, CISER and Sinclair Community College in Dayton Ohio are forming an educational partnership for the advancement of information assurance (IA) awareness, education, and knowledge. AFIT and Sinclair CC are developing faculty resources and producing a unique curriculum to serve the needs of industry, government, first responders, and law enforcement. This partnership is allowing AFIT faculty, IA curricula, and laboratory resources to be shared with Sinclair faculty. The faculty development portion of this effort is building upon existing Sinclair faculty IT expertise to extend their academic programs into the IA arena. CISER is sharing course and laboratory material with Sinclair faculty.
Intellectual merit. The project is providing the following deliverables: a cyber forensics course at the community college level for broad dissemination to first-responders and practitioners, a NSTISSI 4011 course mapping for Sinclair IT/IA programs, two IA educated faculty members for Sinclair CC, and project reports to disseminate the development of an IA program at the community college level.
Broader impact. The partnership between AFIT and Sinclair CC is expanding the knowledge of cyber forensics to a larger and more diverse student population by integrating proven curricula and practices into the community college environment. With the increased IA focus this partnership is providing, curriculum expansions are extending beyond the CIS program to other academic departments at Sinclair such as Legal Assisting, the Criminal Justice program for forensics courses, and Allied Health courses where obtaining, securing, and transmitting patient information is becoming increasingly critical. The project is laying the groundwork to involve an additional 500+ students annually. This partnership is allowing AFIT and Sinclair to also make a broader impact on the education of the law enforcement community via the cyber forensics course at Sinclair.
