This project is developing a model program to prepare students as information technology professionals with strong digital forensics skills used in occupations in government, industry, and criminal justice. Combining criminal justice and computer science in a collaborative approach to forensics, the curriculum includes certificates and an associate degree in digital forensics, with the option of transferring to a four-year degree program in either computer science or criminal justice with a computer forensics concentration. The investigators are developing the curriculum in partnership with the Cyber Security Education Consortium (CSEC), an ATE regional center based at the University of Tulsa, and with DeVry University in Illinois, Champlain College in Vermont, and Defiance College in Ohio.
Expected outcomes include: * new curricula that add to the body of knowledge in forensic science, combining criminal justice and computer science into a collaborative approach to forensics; * increased student enrollment in digital computer forensic certificate and degree programs; * increased participation of students from area high school career and technical programs and the college's diversity programs for underrepresented minorities and women; and * improved preparation for students to gain employment or advancement in IT security fields.
