COURSE SYLLABUS SPRING 2016 ONLINE
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
CIS168Principles of Information Security
Instructor: Dennis Pearson Office: Room 713
Phone: (724) 925-4131 CELL PHONE 724 420-7862 CALL ANY TIMEOffice Hours: T/TH 3:30-4:30 W 12:00-3:00
Fax: (724) 925-1150 (please put my name on all fax sheets)
Email Address:
Course URL:
Catalog Description
This course is designed to introduce the student to the dynamic discipline of information security. Information security covers a broad range of areas from keeping networks secure from hackers to protecting one’s own personal information. Areas of study will include ethical, moral, and legal issues; industry- and vendor-specific certifications; encryption and decryption methods and protocols; and the security system design life cycle. State-of-the-art developments in information security and network security will also be covered.
- GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES:
After the completion of this course the student will be able to:
Define and describe security
List the critical characteristics of information
Describe legal, ethical, and moral issues that relate to information security
Discuss the concepts of an information security policy
List organizations and associations of security professionals
Locate up-to-date information on relevant security information
Discuss the system design life cycle (SDLC) and the security system
design life cycle (SecSDLC)
Define cryptography
Discuss secure communications protocols
Discuss differences between threats and risks
II. TEXT USED:
Principles of Information Security: FIFTH Edition: Whitman, Mattord; Course Technology, 2016-2012,
ISBN 1-285-44836-7
III. REQUIRED EQUIPMENT:
Access to internet access, access to Campus Connections Email,pencil, notebook, USB Module.
Assignments to be completed with a word processor in RTF format, all emails must contain the subject line CIS168wain the subject line or the spam filter will delete the email.
IV. REFERENCES:
While the primary course content will be based on the required text, as well as links to web sites of interest. I will supplement our class work with hyperlinks to the online versions of texts, Handouts will be distributed in the form of web pages; students who wish to have hard copies of materials are responsible for printing copies for themselves.
V. CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
A. EXAMS, GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS:
Topic / Points
Technical summaries / 200 points
Research Topics / 200 points
Review Quizzes / 400 points
Exams / 800 points
Projects / 100 points
Total / 1700 points
Assignment points earned will be the number of assignments completed divided by the number of assignments made times 100 points. The cutoff points for letter grades will be 90% to 100% =A, 80% to 89%=B, 70% to 79%=C, 60% to 69%=D, and 59% or below = F. Keep your own point totals.
B. ASSIGNMENTS: Readings from the textbook will be studied and discussed. You are expected to read and study each assignment in advance of the discussion period. Computer produced assignments will be required throughout the semester. It is expected that each student will complete all assignments. Do not turn in someone else’s work as your own or allow someone else to copy your work.
Four research assignments are available for students who do not turn in assignment on time. These assignments will be posted when a student’s progress digresses to a situation where the student’s satisfactory progress is being jeopardized by the student‘s not completing assignments in a satisfactory manner, with respects to meeting assignments due dates or quality of the submitted material.
C. INFORMATION Security PROJECT: A project focusing on Information Security will be required. The project should fully utilize the topics covered in class. A separate handout will further detail the specifics for this project.
D. ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance (using online resources) is recommended, as absences will affect the ability of the student to maintain a consistent pace throughout the course. In class assignments, full credit points will be given only for work completed and turned in on time. Late in-class assignments may be worth half credit. Exams are open notes, and are time-limited exams. These exams are designed to test the knowledge acquired through computer practice and repetition achieved by hands on computer instruction while maintaining regular class attendance. Regular class attendance will make this testing process less stressful. Please note that this course assumes at least one attendance per unit on your part, even though you can log in when and as often as you can. This class is production based; the assignments you turn in represent attendance. Individual problems may crop up to slow your progress on the assignments. If you encounter a problem, work around the problem. Turn in as much of the indicated material as possible. Submit a Microsoft Word document explaining the problem and the work around. Turn each problem into an opportunity to adapt and overcome. This course is using new textbooks and material, if problems occur call me on the telephone at 724 925-4131 or come in and see me so that we can make steady progress throughout the course. Save all work in two places once on a USB drive, once in a folder on your hard drive. Save all files until you receive your grade.
Course Discussion Board: The Blackboard virtual classroom provides access to a Discussion Board where class members can participate in class discussion. General topics are posted and correspond to chapter readings, article summaries, or assignments. You are encouraged to respond to any other comment within the weekly topic. The instructor will monitor the discussion boards and post information in order to reduce the volume of e-mail traffic.
F. WITHDRAWAL POLICY: Students withdrawing prior to withdrawal deadline date will receive a W grade.College initiated withdrawals may be periodically processed for students not turning in work or participating in the class. Online classes require significant work and effort, if your schedule or health situation does not permit participation and engagement in this class please withdrawal, and keep your college transcript and QPA in good standing so that you can return to academic progress at a later date with without any administrative difficulty.A college initiated withdrawal will be initiated for any student failing to login into this course in Blackboard and/or participate in classroom activities for a period of three consecutive weeks.
G. Class conduct: Please be courteous to everyone in the class: in an online environment, it is especially necessary that all students follow the rules of netiquette, so that the class can be as productive and enjoyable as possible. If you are unfamiliar with the courtesies on online communication, please see the Learn the Net quick-facts sheet.
H. Submitting work online: The preferred method for submitting work is the Assignment Feature. On each assignment please indicate your name, the class name and number and the assignment number with each assignment. Any work not properly identified with your name the class name and number, and the name of the assignment will be graded at half credit. Please do not submit shortcuts to any work. After evaluating the assignment I will post the evaluation assigned points to the online grade book. All students are requested to use their WCCC e-mail account, please indicate your class name CIS168WA, your name and the assignment number as the subject entry for all emails.
Note: any email that does not have a subject line starting with either CIS168WA will be deleted by the spam blocker. The Assignment Feature is the preferred method for submitting work submissions should be sent as in the Microsoft Word using RTFformat.
H. Obtaining textbook files: You will want to down load textbook files to your computer. Create a subdirectory to receive these files. Student textbook information can be located at
Generation Data Sets: When you are working on an assignment use the save as command to change the file name as you progress through the exercises. If a file is named sample, work a while and then save the file as sample1, then sample2, then sample3 etc. If a problem occurs you have a backup and do not have to start from scratch. Access is different. There is no save as command for Access databases. You must physically make copies with Window or DOS/UNIX commands. File names should begin with a letter should be short 8 characters or less, should contain numbers, and should not contain spaces. These rules will make your files compatible with various networks and various software programs. This process is also referred to as stage saving files. This process makes happier computer students!
Class Conduct:
Please be courteous to everyone in the class: in an online environment, it is especially necessary that all students follow the rules of “netiquette,” so that the class can be as productive and enjoyable as possible. Treat all discussion board and email correspondence with proper information technology practices, etiquette and courtesy. If you are unfamiliar with the courtesies on online communication, please see the Learn the Net quick-facts sheet at. (ftp://ftp.lib.berkeley.edu/pub/net.training/FAU/netiquette.txt)
If you have any questions about the course or need assistance, please contact me in person or by telephone 725 925-4131, at any time.
Communication: the preferred method of communication is a phone call most everyone has a cell phone, or access to a phone, you can call me at 724-925-4131 any time. WCCC has a great phone system with phone mail I monitor the phone mail on a regular basis and will return phone calls ASAP this is my first priority. If you leave a message please leave times I can call you back when you will answer the phone. For example: Please return my phone call between 9:00 and 12:00 at 724-777-7777, or between 1:00 and 3:00 at 724-444-4444. Please state a do not call after a certain time for example: do not call after 9:00 PM or do not call between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Providing me with accessible call times will ensure that when I call you are available. I will respond to phone calls within 48 hours Monday through Friday.CELL PHONE 724 420-7862 CALL ANY TIME.
Discussion Boards: After reviewing all phone calls the multiple discussion boards will be viewed. The discussion boards have been broken into multiple subject headings to organize and isolate problem areas and provide a medium for collaborative learning. In a face to face class students communicate before during and after class, much information is exchanged during this communication. While teaching face to face class I often stop talking and let the class members talk to and with one another to make a point clear or ask the class to engage in free discussion. The discussion boards are designed to provide student to student collaborative learning opportunity. By using the discussion boards we can reduce the number of emails and resolve problems quicker. The more articulate your discussion board entry and the clearer the problem description the better and sooner the solution can be resolved. As students you can respond to anydiscussion board entry and help a fellow student with a quick solution. I will generally agree with solution arrived at with the discussion board process, as our goal is to resolve any ambiguity and move on as quickly as possible. I will try to respond to discussion boards on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Emails: After reviewing the discussion boards emails will be viewed. The more articulate your email entry and the clearer the problem description the better and sooner the solution can be resolved. Emails generally ask some sort of question, from the question my job is to solve the underlying problem, difficult problems are often best solved with a phone call. The subject for your email must begin with the spam filter will eliminate the email and I may not see the email. I will read email and respond to emails on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, by beginning the research on the problem then respond first by Announcements in Blackboard, or by Discussion Board entries, then a response to your individual email. I will try to respond to emails on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Students with Disabilities:Students with disabilities are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the student support services counselor to discuss their individual needs each semester. You will need to follow certain procedures that will be discussed. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations.If you need an accommodation due to a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, please contact Disabilities Services in Room 130 Founders Hall, 724-925-4121; or Lauren Eicher, Counselor of Disabilities & Student Behavioral Intervention Services, at . Advance notice may be necessary for some accommodations to be provided in a timely manner. Accommodations must be supported by adequate documentation and are determined on an individual basis.
Modifications to the Syllabus:As the semester progresses modification to the syllabus may be made at the discretion of the Instructor. Additional assignments and or modifications will be applied to adapt the curriculum as needed and will be posted to the Announcement feature of Blackboard for this course.
VI. COURSE SCHEDULE
although the instructor may deem it appropriate to deviate from the following schedule, the basic design of the course will be:
SEMESTER TEXT TUTORIAL
WEEK TOPIC READINGS
Assignments / APPROX-IMATE
DUEDATE
Begin / Overview, Windows
Class procedure familiarization / Bio Assignment / Login Print
Syllabus / JAN21th
Begin / WCCC network, email, Internet
Class procedure familiarization / Biography Assignment / JAN 21th
Begin / Windows/network operating system
Class procedure familiarization / Practice
Assignment / JAN 21th
Begin / Windows, Disk/File management systems
Class procedure familiarization / DiscussionBoard I
(Screen Print) / JAN 21th
Week / Topic / Text Chapter / Blackboard Assignments / Suggested
Due Dates
1 / Introduction to Information Security / Chapter 1 / Assignment 1
Quiz 1
Exam 1 / JAN 29th
2 / The Need For Security / Chapter 2 / Assignment 2
Quiz 2
Exam 2 / FEB5TH
3 / Legal, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Information Security / Chapter 3 / Assignment 3
Quiz 3
Exam 3 / FEB 12th
4 / Planning Security / Chapter 4 / Assignment 4
Quiz 4
Exam 4 / FEB 19th
5 / Risk Management / Chapter 5 / Assignment 5
Quiz 5
Exam 5 / FEB26th
6-7 / Security Technology: Firewalls and VPNs / Chapter 6 / Assignment 6
Quiz 6
Exam 6 / MAR 4th THRU MAR 11th
8-9 / Security Technology: Intrusion Detection, Access Control, and other Security Tools / Chapter 7 / Assignment 7
Quiz 7
Exam 7 / MAR 18th THRU MAR29
10-11 / Cryptography / Chapter 8 / Assignment 8
Quiz 8
Exam 8 / MAR 30th THRU APRIL 8th
12 / Physical Security / Chapter 9 / Assignment 9
Quiz 9
Exam 9 / APRIL 15th
13 / Implementing Information Security / Chapter 10 / Assignment 10
Quiz 10
Exam 10 / APRIL 29th
14 / Security and Personnel / Chapter 11 / Assignment 11
Quiz 11
Exam 11 / MAY 6th
15 / Information Security Maintenance / Chapter 12 / Assignment 12
Quiz 12
Exam 12 / MAY 10th
16 / Project due / MAY 10th
16 / All work due noon / MAY10th
Some topics are not presented in the text. Students will obtain the necessary materials from postings, online classroom participation, and notes.
An entry has been made to the main menu Course Information, the new entry is called College Resources, here you will find the contact information for the various student resources needed to assist you with your college adventure.
College Resources
If you are experiencing difficulty in this course, the following resources may prove helpful:
The college offers the following resources to all students:
Learning Resource Center – 724.925.4100 (Library)
Learning Assistance Center – 724.925.4135
Computer Resource Center – 724.925.4049
Student Advising – 724.925.4051
Learning Assistance Center – 724.925.4135
The Learning Assistance Center and the Computer Resource Center can offer you additional help if you are experiencing technical difficulties in this course. You can obtain more information about all of these services by calling Student Services at 724.925.4196.
If you are having difficulty with CampusConnections
Call: 724.925.4130
E-mail:
If you are having difficulty with Blackboard
Call: Toll Free 1.800.262.2103 ext. 4144
Dial Direct: 724.925.4144 or 724.925.4138
E-mail: