DEPARTMENT OF GRADUATE STUDIES

Independent Study Final Report

Innovative Curriculum Development for

High school level Computer Science
courses & STEM Outreach programs.

Spring 2017

By
Mohammed Ameen Soukat Ali
U65765515

Under the guidance of Dr. Shivendu

1
Contents
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Deliverables ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Lesson Plan..................................................................................................................................................................... 5
1. Describe in simple terms what Artificial Intelligence and how it differs from Human Intelligence and its usage in
everyday life. ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Lecture: Review Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence. .................................................................................................. 5
Activity to understand AI: Students work together to come up with examples of Human Intelligence and Artificial
Intelligence, and work in groups to explain fundamental differences. ................................................................................ 5
Discussion of answers among students, Instructor-initiated and moderated. ...................................................................... 5
Instructor collects answers from each group (to avoid confusing choral response), and ...................................................... 5
Explains which answers are correct and why. ........................................................................................................................ 5
Handouts, Slides...................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Textbook Chapter.................................................................................................................................................................... 5
2. Explain Machine Learning and provide examples of ML and explain the Turing test. ..................................................... 5
3. Design a basic conceptual AI Algorithm ............................................................................................................................ 6
Flex Activity ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Assessment Plan........................................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction to Computer Programming ................................................................................................................................ 6
Background Information: ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Learning Outcomes: ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Assessment Materials: ............................................................................................................................................................ 7
Grading Scheme: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Syllabus Draft ................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Course Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Course Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Materials ............................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Topics Covered ...................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Assignments & Project .......................................................................................................................................................... 13
Basis for Final Grade ............................................................................................................................................................. 14
Feedback for Instructors ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
Course Policies ...................................................................................................................................................................... 15
.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Proposal for a Professional Development Workshop ................................................................................. 17

2
Syllabus ................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
Tentative Course Outline .................................................................................................................................................. 18
Week 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Week 2 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Week 3 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Program Requirements ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Laptop/PC Requirement ................................................................................................................................................... 19
Text Book Requirement .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Class Cohort Size Requirement ......................................................................................................................................... 19
USF Instructor and GA Responsibilities............................................................................................................................. 19
Evaluate Program Success .................................................................................................................................................... 19
Proposal for a Cybersecurity Awareness Workshop ................................................................................... 20
Objective: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Expected Significance:................................................................................................................................................... 22
Tentative Workshop Outline: ........................................................................................................................................ 26
Week 1 .......................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Teaching Methodology ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Program Requirements ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Laptop/PC Requirement ............................................................................................................................................... 27
Text Book Requirement ................................................................................................................................................ 27
Class Cohort Size Requirement ..................................................................................................................................... 27
USF Instructor and GA Responsibilities ......................................................................................................................... 28
Evaluate Program Success............................................................................................................................................. 28
Outcomes: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Assessment: .................................................................................................................................................................. 28
Resources: ......................................................................................................................................................................... 30
References: ........................................................................................................................................................................ 31

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Introduction

The goal of the proposed Independent Study was Research & Development of Teaching Materials for Computer Science
Courses at the High School level and for other similar STEM Outreach programs. The project involved extensive literature
survey, going through Course syllabus and material of AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A
courses as provided by the College Board, a survey of the offerings by various providers and Developing Innovative
methods for teaching this material to high school students.

The motivation to pursue this was to address the relative unfamiliarity of local district Educators with the newly
introduced (Fall 2016) AP Course Computer Science Principles. This course is modelled as an Introduction to the most
important concepts of Computer Science and is aimed at imparting Problem Solving ability by Computational Thinking,
and to produce Informed and Responsible Users of Technology with proper Information Security Awareness &
Cybersecurity Best Practices.

The emergence of Computer Science as a foundational skill for future citizens has been an overarching motivation to
choose a study in the field of CS Education.

The material developed under this project is to form the basis for a Teachers training module that the department is
developing. The Independent Study concludes with a proposal for a Teacher Training Program and a Cybersecurity
Awareness Workshop for local community members.

The deliverables and Instructional artifacts produced as a part of this Independent Study were,

1. Lesson Plan,
2. Assessment Plan
3. Syllabus Draft,
4. Content Aggregation for Computer Science Principles AP Course,
5. Proposal for a Professional Development Workshop for local district Educators on Computer Science Principles/
Computer Science AP courses

The deliverables are intended to help Educators who have extensive Teaching and Instructional experience but not
much Computer Science or STEM Instructional experience. Each of the artifact is designed over a different part of the
Computer Science Principles AP class, so as to help the teacher gain a good understanding on the Subject Material.

4
Deliverables
Lesson Plan
Background

The class would be introducing concepts of Artificial Intelligence by defining Intelligence as seen by Humans and
Computers to High School Students. Machine Learning is explored and various forms of ML are investigated.

Prep Work

Students will be expected to have completed the assigned Text book readings and a prior module on Pervasive
Computing, which would serve as a pre-requisite for improved understanding. Reading Quiz on Canvas.

Learning Activities Materials Formative Assessment

Outcomes
1. Describe in Lecture: Review Intelligence and Artificial Handouts, Slides In-Class Quiz to gauge
simple Intelligence. student understanding,
terms what Textbook Chapter Whole class Discussion.
Artificial Activity to understand AI: Students work
Intelligence together to come up with examples of
and how it Human Intelligence and Artificial
differs from Intelligence, and work in groups to explain
Human fundamental differences.
Intelligence
and its Discussion of answers among students,
usage in Instructor-initiated and moderated.
everyday Instructor collects answers from each group
life. (to avoid confusing choral response), and
Explains which answers are correct and why.

Time: 30
minutes
2. Explain Lecture: Review Machine Learning and Handouts, Slides, In-Class quiz,
Machine Turing Test. Video on AI and ML. Correct Assignment of ML
Learning and examples.
provide Activity: Students work in pairs to come up
examples of with their own explanations of Machine
ML and Learning based off the assigned readings and
explain the then provide examples of ML to support their
Turing test. explanation.

Students work in groups of 3 and play the

Imitation game, where two students are A and

5
 B and the other an Interrogator. The
Instructor then explains how a similar format
is used to gauge computing ability of a
machine required to pass as a human being.
Time: 20
minutes Review of correct answers, Instructor-led

3. Design a Students will be provided with a sample Handouts of a Sample Whole-class discussion
basic algorithm which they must discuss in groups Algorithm for a simple
conceptual AI and come up with a similar algorithm of their AI controlled
Algorithm own (based on the Instructions provided in thermostat, Algorithm
the assigned readings). template.

Students present their algorithms to class in a

format of their choice (choices outlined in the
assigned readings) Flow chart or
Pseudocode.

Review of correct answers, Student-led

Time: 10
minutes
Flex Activity A Video on how AI affects daily life, and
would be impacting the workplace in the
future, Careers in AI are explored.

Assessment Plan

Introduction to Computer Programming

Background Information:
Computer Programming or Programming is a method of communicating with Computers using programming languages
to instruct them to do certain tasks in a structured manner. Computer Programs can be created to solve problems or to
simplify a complicated task. This course is an Introduction to Programming with C#.

Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of this course, students will be able to,

1. Read and Understand a Computer Program written in C# syntax: One of the biggest challenges faced by students
is the inability to understand a computer program or the syntax of a programming language. Both are
fundamental skills required by a Computer Programmer.
2. Design a computer program with logic structures, methods and code readability: A Computer Program consists
of multiple components statements, object instantiation, control-flow structures, etc. Being able to produce a
well-designed computer program is also a key skill.

6
 3. Create a computer program that will solve a problem and can be compiled and executed: Producing a well-
designed and a functioning computer program is the goal of this course, for a student to be able to achieve this
would mean that they successfully achieved all preceding outcomes.

Assessment Materials:

Final Project:

Students will be expected to produce a computer program written in C#. The Computer program should include your
descriptive comments documenting your approach to solve the provided problem. There is no right way to solve and
problem and you will not be expected to stick to a singular approach, be creative and use an approach which you think is
best suited to the problem.

Your program should have efficient functions/methods and control structures. Make sure you include all the necessary
programming elements covered in the course.

Grading Scheme:

Criteria Ratings Points

Code Code is passable and Code compiles and executes Code is well-structured and
Functionality - compiles but throws without any Exceptions and executes perfectly without
Compilation Exceptions and Errors (1) Errors. Does not follow any errors and uses best-
design guidelines (2) practices (3)
Control-Flow Improper Control-Flow Control-Flow statements Control-Flow statements
Usage states are used (1) are used properly but there used perfectly and never
are instances where it is inappropriate (3)
used improperly. (2)
Method Code is repeated and Methods are defined but DRY-principles are strictly
Definition and methods arent used magic numbers are still adhered to and helper
Usage leading to unnecessary used instead of being methods are also used to
redundancy (1) passed as arguments. (2) improve code functionality
and clarity (3)

7
 Syllabus Draft

CSP 100 Computer Science Principles

Course Prerequisites: None

Section #001, 3 Credit Hours, no pre-requisites required.

COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor Name: NA Semester/Term & Year: Fall 2017

Office Number: ENB 343C Class Meeting Days: M, W, F

Phone Number: 813-974-0555 Class Meeting Time: 1:00 2:00 pm

E-Mail: cdaniels@usf.edu Class Meeting Location: ENB 313

Lab Meeting Location & M 10 11 AM at

Website: http://cdaniels.usf.edu
Time: ENB116

Delivery Method: 90% On-Campus & 10

% Online.

Office Hours: M 3:00 5:00 PM*

http://csp100.usf.edu
Course Website: + Canvas (proposed)

Mohammed Ameen;

mohammedamee@mail.usf.edu
Teaching Assistant:
W 5:00 6:00 PM at ENB 313* or by
appointment

* Office Hours appointments are scheduled through Canvas. Additional Office Hours on request.

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Introduction
Welcome to CSP 100! This is an Introductory course into the world of Computer Science and teaches students how to
think algorithmically, solve problems efficiently and the foundational concepts of computer science and explores the
impact computing and technology have on our society.

With a unique focus on creative problem solving and real-world applications, the AP Computer Science Principles course
gives students the opportunity to explore several important topics of computing using their own ideas and creativity,
use the power of computing to create deliverables of personal interest, and develop an interest in computer science
that will encourage further achievements in the field.

Topics covered include Abstraction, Algorithms, Data Structures, Encapsulation, Programming, Software engineering,
and Web development.

Languages covered include Python, SQL, HTML/CSS and JavaScript. Problem sets are inspired by real-world domains of
Healthcare, Cryptography, Finance, and Gaming. No prior programming experience is required.

Apart from regular lectures and homework, we will be integrated aspects of a Flipped Classroom into every class. Prep
work is posted on Canvas and we expect you to commit to doing assigned prep work and be prepared to actively engage
with the Instructor, fellow classmates in various in-class activities. We hope to make this an enjoyable learning
experience.

Students are encouraged to augment their knowledge by outside reading of reference materials. The teaching assistant
is available via email and during office hours to answer questions and provide guidance.

Course Overview
Prerequisites: There are no official prerequisites for the USF Computer Science Principles course. It is meant to be
a first-time introduction to computer science, and does not require students to come in with any computer
programming experience. However, we recommend that students take our Introduction to Computer Science
prior to the AP course. Students who have completed our Intro to CS course will be able to apply knowledge of
concepts covered in the Intro course to the more advanced setting of the AP courses. We also recommend that
students complete a first-year high school algebra course prior to taking this course. Students should be
comfortable with functions and function notation such as f(x) = x + 2 as well as using a Cartesian (x, y) coordinate
system to represent points in a plane.

Learning Environment: The course utilizes a blended classroom approach. The content is a mix of web-based and
physical activities. Students will write and run code in the browser, create websites and digital artifacts, and
engage in in-person collaborative exercises with classmates. Teachers utilize tools and resources provided by us to
leverage time in the classroom and give focused 1-on-1 attention to students. Each unit of the course is broken
down into lessons. Lessons consist of video tutorials, short quizzes, example programs to explore, written
programming exercises, free response exercises, collaborative creation projects and research projects.

Programming Environment: Students write and run programs in the browser using the Code editor. Students will
be able to write both text based and block based JavaScript programs, and students will use Processing.js to create
graphical programs. They will also create webpages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These webpages will be
hosted on their personal Google Sites webpages so that they can keep a running portfolio of their creative
projects, and easily share their programs with the world. Students gain programming experience early in the
course that will enable them to explore the rest of the course topics through computational thinking practices.

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 Quizzes: At the end of each unit, students take a summative multiple choice unit quiz in the style of the AP Exam
that assesses their knowledge of the concepts covered in the unit. Included in each lesson is a formative short quiz
of various question types, including multiple choice, free response, and matching. The course also provides an AP
Test Practice unit with a cumulative AP Practice Multiple Choice Test.

Course Objectives
Upon Successful completion of this course, students will be able to,

1. Design Algorithms and write pseudocode.

2. Develop Software Projects in Python
3. Create Webpages using HTML/CSS & JavaScript & Manage Assets
4. Have a working knowledge of basic standardized networking, Internet functionality, and network security
concepts such as TCP/IP, HTTP/FTP, Access control.
5. Recognize the Impact and Role of computing technologies in Society.

Computational Thinking Practices:

The six computational thinking practices represent important aspects of the work that computer scientists
engage in, and are denoted here by P1 through P6:

P1: Connecting Computing

Identify impacts of computing.

Describe connections between people and computing.

Explain connections between computing concepts.

P2: Creating Computational Artifacts

Create an artifact with a practical, personal, or societal intent.

Select appropriate techniques to develop a computational artifact.

Use appropriate algorithmic and information management principles.

P3: Abstracting

Explain how data, information, or knowledge is represented for computational use.

Explain how abstractions are used in computation or modeling.

Identify abstractions.

Describe modeling in a computational context.

P4: Analyzing Problems and Artifacts

Evaluate a proposed solution to a problem.

Locate and correct errors.

Explain how an artifact functions.

Justify appropriateness and correctness of a solution, model, or artifact.

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 P5: Communicating

Explain the meaning of a result in context.

Describe computation with accurate and precise language, notations, or visualizations.

Summarize the purpose of a computational artifact.

P6: Collaborating

Collaborate with another student in solving a computational problem.

Collaborate with another student in producing an artifact.

Share the workload by providing individual contributions to an overall collaborative effort.

Foster a constructive, collaborative climate by resolving conflicts and facilitating the contributions of a
partner or team member.

Exchange knowledge and feedback with a partner or team member.

Review and revise their work as needed to create a high-quality artifact.

Materials
C Programming Absolute Beginners Guide, Third Edition

Greg Perry, Dean Miller

Pearson Education, 2014

ISBN 0-789-75198-4

Hackers Delight, Second Edition

Henry S. Warren Jr.

Pearson Education, 2013

ISBN 0-321-84268-5

How Computers Work, Tenth Edition

Ron White

Que Publishing, 2014

ISBN 0-7897-4984-X

Programming in C, Fourth Edition

Stephen G. Kochan

11
 Pearson Education, 2015

ISBN 0-321-77641-0

Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion

Hal Abelson, Ken Ledeen, Harry Lewis

Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (June 16, 2008)

ISBN 0-137-13559-9

Prep-work materials will be provided free of charge through the Canvas course website at
usflearn.instructure.com. Contact the USF IT Help Desk (http://www.usf.edu/it/about-us/helpdesk.aspx) if you
have trouble accessing Canvas.

Topics Covered

Week 1 Install Python, SQL and other required tools (IDE, SQL
Workbench, etc)

- Instructions posted on Canvas

Week 2 DataTypes, Variables, and Simple Output

Assignment Variables and Operators
Visual Logic Chapter 1 Page 17 1-4

Week 3 Making Decisions with if Statements

Assignment If Statement/Switch Statement
Visual Logic Chapter 2 Page 34 2-5

Week 4 Repetition with while loops and for loops

Assignment For Loop
Assignment While Loop
Visual Logic Chapter 4 Page 70 4-4

Week 5 Arrays
Assignment Arrays
Visual Logic Chapter 5 Page 92 5-2

Week 6 Functions
Assignment Functions
Visual Logic Chapter 6

Week 7 Midterm

12
Week 8 Introduction to Classes
Assignment Class

Week 9 Using Methods and Objects

Week 10 HTML/CSS and JavaScript

- Introduction and In-class activity (Posted on Canvas)

Week 11 Files
Assignment Files

Week 11 Exceptions
Assignment Exceptions

Week 12 Final Project Discussion

Assignments & Project

Assignments

Programming Assignments will test the student on various concepts introduced in the preceding class. Each is
due by noon on a Monday. Late work is not ordinarily accepted, except in cases of emergency as outlined in the
Course Policy.

Assignments will be based on in-class exercises conducted in the preceding class, but will explore alternate
approaches which couldnt be discussed in class. Assignment solutions will be posted on canvas after they are
graded.

Final Project

The final project is an opportunity to take your newfound savvy with programming out for a spin and develop
your very own piece of software drawing upon this courses lessons, the nature of your project is entirely up to
you subject to the staffs approval. It should be implemented in Python or JavaScript. You are welcome to utilize
any infrastructure, provided the staff ultimately has access to any hardware and software that your project
requires. All that we ask is that you build something of interest to you, that you solve an actual problem, that
you impact campus, or that you change the world. Strive to create something that outlives this course.

Software development is rarely a one-person effort, you are allowed an opportunity to collaborate with one or
two classmates for this final project. It is expected that every student in any such group contribute equally to the
design and implementation of that groups project. Moreover, it is expected that the scope of a 2 or 3-person
groups project be, respectively, twice or thrice that of a typical one-person project. A one-person project, mind
you, should entail more time and effort than is required by each of the courses problem sets. Although no more
than three students may design & implement a given project, you are welcome to solicit advice from others, so
long as you respect the course policy on academic honesty.
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 Midterm

Midterm examinations will test you on content delivered during the first 6 weeks. And the course is structured
in a way that the following 6 weeks of instruction depend on the learnings from the first 6 weeks. So this is a
time for you to review concepts learned and solidify fundamentals required to understand classes in the
subsequent weeks. It contains a Fixed-choice section (MCQs, True/False), and an Open-ended section (Problem
Solving, Essay questions).

Final Exams

The Final Exam is designed in a way that the student can successfully demonstrate his understanding of the
course particularly the last 6 weeks. It contains a Fixed-choice section (MCQs, True/False), and an Open-Ended
section which has Programming challenges, Flowcharts, etc.

Basis for Final Grade

Provide a listing of assessments and their weighting in the semester total. In addition to (or even in lieu of) tests,
consider exploring authentic assessments, which are based as closely as possible to real world experiences.

Percent of Final
Assessment Grade

Classroom Participation 5%

Visual Logic Assignment 10%

Programming Assignments 20%

Midterm 20%

Final Exam 25%

Final Project 20%

100%

The general grading scale

Grading Scale (%)

90-100 A
80 89.9 B
70 79.9 C
60 69.9 D
0 59.9 F

14
Feedback for Instructors
Students can provide anonymous / direct feedback.

Course Policies
ATTENDANCE

Attendance is required. Attendance is determined through prep work quiz submission. Any student arriving
more than 35 minutes after class has begun is ineligible for attendance credit that day.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

This course is built around active participation from all students. Come to class ready to talk and do, not just
sit and listen! The more that students take this to heart, the better the course will be.

COURSE COMMUNICATIONS

Email is the best way to contact the Professor. Emails generally will be answered within 24 hours, and if sent
before noon on Fridays, will be answered by 5pm that day. Emails sent between noon on Friday and 4

8am the following Monday will be answered that Monday. You can call the Professor at the phone number
listed on this syllabus, but please be aware that he is frequently away from his office phone.

The Professor will send all official course communications through the Canvas Conversations platform
(found under the Inbox link). Be sure that your Canvas notification preferences are set to forward
Conversations messages to your email inbox. (This setting is enabled by default.) If you prefer to disable this
setting, it is your responsibility to check your Canvas inbox regularly to keep up-to-date on all course
announcements.

OFFICE HOURS

You may come to office hours for any academic or professional reason, including those not directly related to
the course. You must schedule office hours appointments through the Canvas calendars Scheduler
function. (Consult the Canvas help pages if youre uncertain how to do this.) Office hours appointments are
scheduled in 10-minute windows, and you may sign up for 30 total minutes per week. However, if you are at
office hours and nobody is scheduled to come in after you, you are entirely welcome to stay until the next
person comes in or until office hours are over. You also can come to your scheduled appointment early if the
calendar does not show any appointments in the slot(s) before your appointment.

DIGITAL DEVICES

The Professor asks that you limit laptop and smartphone use during class to note-taking; please respect this
request. Note that if using a digital device to take notes, cognitive psychology research has shown that you
should avoid transcribing things verbatim. Instead, enhance your learning by summarizing what is said in your
own language, much as you would when taking handwritten notes.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic integrity is the foundation of the University of South Florida Systems commitment to the academic
honesty and personal integrity of its university community. Academic integrity is grounded in certain
fundamental values, which include honesty, respect, and fairness. Broadly defined, academic honesty is the
completion of all academic endeavors and claims of scholarly knowledge as representative of ones own
efforts. The final decision on an academic integrity violation and related academic sanction at any USF System
institution shall affect and be applied to the academic status of the student throughout the USF System, unless

15
otherwise determined by the independently accredited institution. In short, dont cheat, or there will be
consequences.

DISRUPTION TO ACADEMIC PROCESS

Disruptive students in the academic setting hinder the educational process. Disruption of the academic
process is defined as the act, words, or general conduct of a student in a classroom or other academic
environment which in the reasonable estimation of the Professor: (a) directs attention away from the
academic matters at hand, such as noisy distractions, persistent, disrespectful or abusive interruption of
lecture, exam, academic discussion, or general University operations, or (b) presents a danger to the health,
safety, or well-being of self or other persons. Disruption to the academic process will not be tolerated under
any circumstances. 5

ACADEMIC GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

You can find the official procedures for filing an academic grievance at the following link:
http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-30-053.pdf

The purpose of these procedures is to provide all undergraduate and graduate students taking courses within
the University of South Florida System an opportunity for objective review of facts and events pertinent to the
cause of the academic grievance. An academic grievance is a claim that a specific academic decision or
action that affects that students academic record or status has violated published policies and procedures, or
has been applied to the grievant in a manner different from that used for other students. All students have the
right to

DISABILITY ACCESS

Students with disabilities are responsible for registering with Students with Disabilities Services (SDS) to
receive academic accommodations. SDS encourages students to notify the Professor of accommodation needs
at least 5 business days prior to needing the accommodation. A letter from SDS must accompany this request.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT & SEXUAL HARRASSMENT REPORTING

USF is committed to providing an environment free from sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and
sexual violence (http://regulationspolicies.usf.edu/policies-and-procedures/pdfs/policy-0-004.pdf). The USF
Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention is a confidential resource where you can talk about
incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/
relationship violence. This confidential resource can help you without having to report your situation to either
the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities (OSSR) or the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal
Opportunity (DIEO), unless you request that they make a report. Please be aware that in compliance with Title
IX and under the USF System Policy, educators must report incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based
crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/relationship violence. If you disclose any of these
situations in class, in papers, or to me personally, I am required to report it to OSSR or DIEO for investigation.
Contact the USF Center for Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention: (813) 974-5757.

16
 Proposal for a Professional Development Workshop
2017

USF CS Principles / CS AP A
High-School Teacher
Professional Development
Program

SOUKAT ALI, MOHAMMED AMEEN

|
17
 Syllabus
provided by:
Information Systems and Decision Sciences
4202 E. Fowler Avenue,
BSN 3403,Tampa, FL 33620

Phone: 813-974-5176
Fax: 813-974-6749

Syllabus:
AP CS Principles / AP CS A High School Teachers
Professional Development Program
The CS Principles / CS AP A High School Teachers Professional Development Program, offered by the ISDS (Information
Systems and Decision Sciences) department at the Muma College of Business in the University of South Florida, is
designed to introduce Teachers to the new AP Computer Science Principles launched by College Board in Fall 2016. Full
time Faculty will provide instruction and guided hands-on exercises that teach participants how to introduce their
students to the foundational concepts of Computer Science and challenges them to explore how Computing and
Technology can impact the world. AP Computer Science Principles is aimed at creating leaders in computer science fields
and attracting and engaging those who are traditionally underrepresented with essential computing tools and
multidisciplinary opportunities. Upon completion of this Program, each participant will present lesson plans, assessment
plans, strategies, etc created during the training series in front of a targeted audience with the intent of demonstrating
their newly acquired practical skill.

Tentative Course Outline

The below course outline details the daily tutorials covered in this Program. Each Instructor will participate in 4 hours of
instruction 5 days per week for 4 weeks. There would be an online component and a support system to help Teachers
with any issues they face.

Week 1
Topic:
Introduction Topics
Algorithmic Foundations of
Computer Science
Hardware Landscape
Week 2
Topic:
Virtual Machine
Software Landscape
Software Landscape cont.
Dates: Details:
Monday, Tuesday Introductions, Program Overview, Issue Text Books,
Lab Orientation, Introduction to Computer Science
Wednesday, Thursday Brief overview of Algorithms.
Friday Brief overview of Binary number systems, Boolean
Logic and Gates and Computer Systems Organization.
Dates: Details:
Monday, Tuesday Introduction to System Software and Virtual
Machines, Computer Networks and Cloud Computing
and Information Security.
Wednesday, Thursday Introduction to High-level Programming, Compilers
and Language Translation.
Friday Models of Computation

18
Week 3
Topic: Dates: Details:
Applications Monday, Tuesday, Simulation and Modeling, Electronic Commerce,
Wednesday Databases and Personal Privacy, Artificial
Intelligence, Computer Graphics and Entertainment:
Movies, Games and Virtual Communities.
Social Issues in Computing Thursday, Friday Making Decisions about Computers, Information and
Society.

Program Requirements
Laptop/PC Requirement
All Program Attendees will be provided a laptop during their time in class. However, if the teacher has access to a
personal laptop or PC, they will be able to practice the exercises on their own time in a location that is convenient.

Text Book Requirement

The following text books will be required to participate in all instructional activities:
1. New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2016, Comprehensive. Cengage Learning,
June Jamrich Parsons.

2. Invitation to Computer Science 7th edition. National Geographic/Cengage Learning, Schneider, G. Michael,
Judith Gresting.

Additional content will be provided by USF Instructional staff as needed.

Class Cohort Size Requirement
Each class will include a maximum of 25-30 teachers. Each teacher will be required to attend all sessions that are
conducted weekdays (Monday through Friday).

2 classes will be hosted each day (1 Cohort per Class). The morning class will be from 8:30 AM 12:30 PM. The optional
afternoon class will be from 1.30 PM 3 PM. Evening tutoring sessions will be hosted by USF GAs from 5:30 PM 7:30
PM. GAs will be available to all teachers from both Cohort classes who desire to have additional help and understanding
of the content.

USF Instructor and GA Responsibilities

Instructor responsibilities for each class will be shared by 2 full-time faculty. Additionally, a GA will provide in-class
assistance for the duration of each class. In addition, GA will also provide optional office hours each evening.

Evaluate Program Success

Each participant will complete the Training program by presenting Lesson plans, strategies, activities, and achieve course
learning outcomes. The instructors consider the teacher to have successfully completed the program after they have
presented the aforementioned items. Each teacher will receive a certificate upon completion of the Program and an
annual support package to help with any issue and can collaborate with colleagues in an online discussion board and get
their doubts and issues resolved timely or be able to contact a support line for faster turn-around times.

19
Proposal for a Cybersecurity Awareness Workshop

Florida Center for Cybersecurity 2017 Capacity Building Program: Developing an Interactive, Self-Paced
Basic Cybersecurity Competence Curriculum and Training Community Leaders including High School
Teachers in Self-Paced Facilitation
Overview
The proposed project involves (1) Creating a course that covers the Basic Cybersecurity Principles (BCP)
curriculum focusing on everyday understanding to make community members cyber smart; (2) Training 80
community leaders including professionals and high school teachers from the Tampa Bay region in its use and
certify them as community cybersecurity experts (CCE); (3) Develop a short 3 hour content for cybersecurity
workshop and train CCEs so that they can offer 3 hour workshops in their community or workplace or high
schools; (4) Provide facilitation support to CCEs for one year in organizing workshops. The curriculum for BCP
course and content for cybersecurity workshop will focus on knowledge on technical as well as behavioral aspect
of data security, network security, cyber threats, some diagnostic tools and online resources and will highlight
the job/career opportunities in the field of cybersecurity. This will improve the Cybersecurity talent pipeline
thereby mitigating the Cybersecurity skills shortage [1]. Cybersecurity workshops will be market-oriented and
CCEs will be encouraged to charge a nominal fee from the participants to cover for their time and effort.

This curriculum for the BCP course and cybersecurity workshop will build upon a highly successful course design
employed in an undergraduate business computer applications course taught at the University of South Florida.
The course taught basic computer concepts and programming in C++ and, later, C#. The course design
incorporated several features not normally encountered in a computer science course. Specifically, it was self-
paced with extensive multi-media content and employed a flipped classroom design. The observed learning
outcomes from the earlier course showed promise in a number of directions that are relevant to the current
proposal. Upon adopting and refining the self-paced strategy, dramatic improvement in successful course
completion were observed. Perhaps most significantly, measured learning outcome on multiple dimensions
were quite stable despite high levels of diversity in the undergraduate population being served; diversity sources
that included both past programming experience, employment status and a variety of personal characteristics
that included age, gender and ethnicity. This robustness in the face of diversity would be a critical advantage in
the proposed project, since it mirrors the variety likely to be experienced in the participants targeted by the
projectwhich would include community members with heterogeneous backgrounds, Academic preparation,
Professional experience and Computer/Internet skills.

The project would take place in two overlapping stages. The first stage, lasting throughout Summer 2017, would
involve (a) Developing curriculum and content for the BCP and cybersecurity workshop; (b) Conducting week-
long BCP course to train and certify CCEs and imparting them content for cybersecurity workshops. The second
phase which will run from the Summer 2017 to Spring of 2018 to facilitate CCEs in organizing market-oriented
workshops in communities/workplaces/schools. Throughout this facilitation period, project will provide online

20
as well as off-line support in form of a mobile help desk to CCEs in conducting cybersecurity workshops in local
area high schools, community centers & businesses and developing a market-oriented business model.

Specific deliverables of the project include: 1) Curriculum for a Basic Cybersecurity Principles course and a
cybersecurity workshop with comprehensive set of open access multimedia, text, testing and project materials
to train and certify Community Cybersecurity Experts (CCEs) 2) Train CCEs in delivering an Introductory
Cybersecurity Workshops at their institutions and workplaces with a market-oriented approach; 3) Facilitation
support to CCEs for one year; and 4) 3) published research relating to the learning effectiveness of the self-
paced approach when employed at the community level in developing cybersecurity awareness and skills.
Additional Instructors manuals, Discussion boards, FAQs and Instructional support materials will be made
available to the participants.

Background

The number of cyber threat vectors and possible attacks Internet users are exposed to has grown
gargantuanly. There is a significant need for everyday Internet users to understand and implement
Cybersecurity principles in their own online interactions. Users who learn and practice Cybersecurity concepts
do not only greatly reduce their susceptibility to cyber threats, but they also have an impact on the spread of
attacks throughout the Internet. At the same time, organizations that require their employees to possess a
basic understanding of Cybersecurity concepts greatly reduce the negative effects of ignorant Internet actions.

There is also a significant skills shortage with many Cybersecurity roles remaining unfilled at Private and Public
Industry [1]. Which should be surprising given that Cybersecurity has one of the highest entry-level salaries
($70,500 for an entry-level Data Security Analyst)[2] and the highest growth potential over the next 5 years
[3]. The White House Statement on the report of the Commission on enhancing National Cybersecurity [4] is
encouraging with continued investments in improving human capital, education and productivity of the
Cybersecurity workforce.

The Proposed Project

The Proposed project is aimed at producing a 2-tier Cybersecurity Outreach program that will include
developing and providing Introductory Cybersecurity Workshops in the local Community (High school
teachers, Industry Professionals, and Community leaders), who must provide Introductory workshops within
their own institutions and workplaces (All Instructional materials and support will be provided). The proposal
overtime also plans on developing a Cybersecurity talent pipeline by guiding interested participants to
Cybersecurity programs and Industry certifications such as Security+ [5], CISSP [6], CISM [7] and provide
relevant materials required to successfully obtain Industry certificates.
The project would be undertaken in three phases, content creation, teacher training and evaluation.
21
Objective:
1. To Educate participants about sound cybersecurity principles & best practices, various threats, how
unsafe online behavior makes people vulnerable, and ways to secure themselves and their
organizations against a wide range of threats and potential career opportunities in Cybersecurity.

2. To Develop a Cybersecurity talent pipeline to meet the Industry demand.

Expected Significance:

The growing importance of Cybersecurity cannot be neglected given the widespread proliferation of
technology in everyday life. Recent Cyberattacks, particularly the 2016 Dyn cyberattack by hijacking unsecured
IoT devices [7] reiterates the importance of a Cybersecure populace to prevent such attacks from occurring
again. There is also a significant skills shortage in the Industry [1] as mentioned earlier and this Community
Outreach project would produce a Cybersecure community while also producing Cybersecurity experts to
meet Industry demand.

I. Content Curation

The first year of the proposed project would be devoted to content curation and delivering Introductory
Cybersecurity Workshops to produce CCEs. The content would fall into two categories:
1. Cybersecurity Content intended for Non-technical users.
2. Cybersecurity Content related to training teachers to use the first type of content effectively.

Course Content
Mirroring the BCP course, the Cybersecurity Awareness workshop content would consist of:

An online open access text. The online version would be free. In the later versions of the prior course,
video content was embedded in the textual content of the PDF book developed by the instructor. This
created a download problem as a result of the size of the embedded videos (about 1 GB). The
availability of free video distribution on services such as YouTube and Vimeo has reduced the
attractiveness of embedding content, although there may still be some closely held content intended
for Non-technical participants interested in becoming a CCE.
A collection of projects that incorporate various concepts of Cybersecurity Principles. To the greatest
extent possible, projects that involve the creation of simple and more complicated game like
applications will be favored, given the past success of that approach in the undergraduate course. For
Penetration testing projects, Sandboxed Virtual Machines would be used. This choice was made for
two reasons. First, it requires the least complex development environments. Second, owing to its
frequent use in the Industry, it is the language that non-programming students and non-programmers,
such as web developers and database developers, are most likely to encounter (and need to use) at
some later point in time.
A full set of video walkthroughs tightly integrated with the text and projects. Having videos that provide
coding and development walkthroughs, as well as content lectures, is critical to providing a self-paced
22
 experience. When students in the prior undergraduate course were asked to rate their satisfaction
with elements of the course on a 1 to 5 scale, the 4.63 awarded to the multimedia-content was among
of the highest scores received (Gill & Jones, 2010, p. 26).
Test banks associated with each project. A key element of the prior course design was the fact that
student got graded on each project they completed, but the grade was not registered until they passed
a proctored online test (or oral exam) on the project, referred to as a validation exam. To increase the
cost of cheating, a random block design for these tests was employed, using a test bank that contained
at least 10 times as many questions as the actual test. Students were also given a substantial number
of self-practice sample tests, many of which contained actual questions from the validation exams.
Prior tests were open book and timedthe large amount of material available to the student and the
time limits rendering the use of outside materials problematic. Looking over past records, it appears
that students typically validated on the first try about 70% of the time, and about 90% had validated
after a second attempt. Once they had two failed attempts, they could only validate through an oral
exam with the instructor. The question bank would need to be developed using a deployment-neutral
environment such as Respondus, since different school districts are likely to employ different LMSs.

The course materials would also potentially contain a number of utilities that supported the prior self-paced
course, if development time permits. One such utility was a program that allowed the instructor to email
customized progress reports to each student.

CCE Training Content

Beyond the content of the Cybersecurity course itself, a significant amount of content would need to be
developed for the high school teachers that would be using it in their classes. This would include the following
items:

Flipped Classroom Training: For many instructors, high school and college alike, the flexibility offered
by a self-paced, flipped classroom environment is disturbing. This is particularly true of instructors that
are used to maintaining a high level or order. Through example, case studies and lecture materials
(face-to-face and recorded), the workshop would include instruction and discussions of how such
classes can be managed. A substantial number of instructional approaches can be applied in a
successful self-paced course.
Project FAQs: The flipped classroom nature of the self-paced design means that much of an Instructors
interaction with participants is related to questions about issues that occur while projects are being
completed. Part of the success of the prior course derived from its use of undergraduate teaching
assistants that has recently taken the course (Gill & Hu, 2006). These TAs also kept a record of FAQs on
each assignment. The lessons we take from this are twofold: 1) the value of having Instructors go
through the entire course as if they were students, and 2) the usefulness of an FAQ repository.

Case studies: A common challenge faced by Instructors is unfamiliarity with how the skills that they are
teaching translate to the workforce. One way to help them develop such familiarity is through the use
of discussion cases that describe real world contexts and decisions that need to be made (Gill, 2011).
As a part of the workshop, Instructors that have completed the CCE in a timely manner will be
presented with case studies of real world Cybersecurity occupations to discuss, with the possibility of
scheduling visits by or to some local companies about whom the cases have been written.

23
 Content Development Training: Many of the tools for online video content development, such as
Camtasia, are relatively easy to employ to create material that can supplement the material developed
for the course by the project. As a part of the workshop, once again, teachers that have completed the
CCE portion of the course in a timely manner will be provided with instruction on using these tools.

II. Instructor Training & Preparation

The process of instructor training would involve three stages: recruiting, workshop and ongoing support.
Recruiting

High school Teachers would be recruited from school districts in the Tampa Bay area, specifically Hernando,
Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas, Polk and Sarasota counties. Hillsborough County is the largest in
terms of high school student population and number of high schools followed by Pinellas and Pasco counties
are likely to see a higher percentage of teacher recruitment.
Tampa Bay region school districts have many distinctions, including:

Eighth largest school district in the nation with 208,000 students.

More than 50,000 Hillsborough County students attend a school through one of the districts many school
choice programs (magnet programs, charter schools, career centers, etc.).
Largest employer in Hillsborough County with 26,000 employees, including 16,000 teachers.
Annual budget of $2.9 billion.
Annually hires approximately 1,000 college graduates to fill teaching positions.
All of Hillsborough County's traditional public high schools are listed on the Washington Post's list of
America's Most Challenging High Schools. Hillsborough High School was the highest rated in the Tampa
Bay area, ranked 55th in the nation.
HCPS has joined a national network of partners with the overall goal of developing and training 100,000
excellent science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers by 2021. HCPS is the only school
district in Florida, and one of only seven districts across the nation, chosen to participate.
In 2009, it received a $100 million Gates Foundation Empowering Effective Teachers Grant.
Pinellas school district is the 7th largest school district in the state of Florida.
56% of High Schools in Pinellas county are graded as A schools by the FL department of education
Pinellas earned the recognition as an Advanced Placement District of the year for increasing access to AP
coursework.
Pinellas County launched Beyond the Classroom, a digital extended learning opportunity for students that
provides free access to online educational recourses.
The total number of students in Pasco county school district are 71,690 out of which 20,811 are high
school students.
Pasco County school district has more than 29 five-star school awards.
Pasco County school district also has a special plan to prepare students for college after high school.
Hernando County School District got successfully accredited as an AdvancED School District
The Manatee County School District operates on a $600 M budget each year.
Sarasota County School District ranks third-best district in Florida in student achievement.
SCSD is one of five districts to receive an A grade in 2013 among the states 67 school districts; 90 percent
of elementary and middle schools are A or B schools.

24
 Florida was ranked seventh in the nation for student achievement in the annual Quality Counts report
published by Education Week.
A 2012 independent study by MGT of America said the Sarasota County School District is one of the best-
run school systems the company has reviewed, citing high performance and innovative practices
The Polk County School District was the recipient of the College Boards District of the Year Award for
Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence in 2011.

High school student population, ethnicity and economically disadvantaged population in the seven project
counties is given in Table 6.

Table 6: High School (9 to 12 grade) student information for counties in Tampa Bay region.
Number of High School Percentage
Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage
County High Student Economically
White Hispanic Black Other
Schools Population Disadvantaged

Hernando 8 7028 71% 17% 7% 5% 67%

Hillsborough 54 62018 37% 34% 21% 8% 59%

Manatee 12 13561 54% 27% 14% 5% 63%

Pasco 17 21185 66% 20% 7% 7% 56%

Pinellas 35 32049 59% 14% 18% 9% 51%

Polk 28 30428 44% 29% 21% 6% 56%

Sarasota 16 13143 67% 17% 9% 7% 48%

Each county will recruit its own teachers, who will be compensated from the grant. These teachers will be
selected based upon the likelihood that they will be assigned to teach a CSP AP section in the year following
the workshop, with special preference being given to teachers serving a large number of economically
disadvantaged students or students from underrepresented minorities. If the number of applicants exceeds
the limit of 30 slots each year, spaces will be allocated based on the relative number of students served by
each county. If the number of applicants falls below the 30 available slots, spaces will be offered to pre-service
teachers enrolled in USFs College of Education.
Key elements will be incorporated in the teacher preparation plan to prepare teachers from diverse
backgrounds. These elements will motivate and help teachers to focus on incorporating a sense of school
pride, developing bonds with diverse students, and to see them as a group of mainstream students rather
than as a separate group (Zeichner, 1992). Incorporation of these elements in teachers training plan will help
teachers from diverse backgrounds to effectively teach students from diverse backgrounds.

Apart from Teachers, Industry Professionals interested in exploring Cybersecurity and spread cybersecurity
awareness within their institutions and Community Leaders looking to spread cybersecurity awareness and
safe online behavior will be chosen to obtain a CCE.

25
Tentative Workshop Outline:

The program will include an introductory week-long Cybersecurity workshop with a 2 day In-class component
and a 5-day Online-component about sound cybersecurity principles & best practices and educating the
attendees about various threats and how unsafe online behavior makes people vulnerable, and ways to secure
themselves and their organizations against a wide range of threats and potential career opportunities in
Cybersecurity.

The below workshop outline details the daily tutorials covered in this Program. Each Instructor will participate
in 6 hours of In-class instruction twice during the weeklong session. There would be an online self-learning
component with discussion boards, readings, instructional material and a support system to help participants
with any issues they face.

Week 1

Topic: Dates: Details:

Self-Learning Before the Participants must go over the various
Workshop starts material shared on the Canvas LMS (Videos,
Readings, Discussion, etc.).

Introduction and Monday Introductions, Program Overview, Issue Text

Fundamental Topics in Books, Lab Orientation, Introduction to
Cybersecurity Cybersecurity with discussion of historic
events globally that shaped Cybersecurity.

Security Concepts & Tuesday Privacy and Security regulations, Safe Online
Vulnerabilities Behavior, Social Engineering (Phishing),
Privacy issues on Social networks, Strong
Passwords, Malwares, Vulnerability
discovery, Best Practices and Case Studies.

Network Security Basics, Wednesday Internet Protocols, Firewalls, Proxies, NAT,

Digital Security & VPN, TCP/IP, assumption of trust among
Wireless Security participants, Standards based
communication.

Cyber Crime, Digital Thursday Social impact of governance in Cyberspace,

Forensics, Ethics and Cyber-attacks and Cybercrimes
Legal Controls (Cyberbullying, Hacking, Identity theft, etc),
Balancing Intelligence needs with Citizen
privacy, Case Studies.

Cryptography and Friday Key Concepts in Cryptography, Cyphers, CIA

Assurance and Risk Triad, Least privilege, Risk mitigation,
Assessment Forensic Procedures, Response, Awareness,
Security Awareness & Training, Intrusion
detection, Risk Management
26
 Policies and Procedures Saturday Social and Cultural norms in defining security
policies. Acceptance and enforcement of
Security policies, Best Practices.

Teaching Methodology

The course will be presented as a combination of lectures and in-class activities/hands-on group activities.
Participants will be expected to take an active interest in discussion of various topics as they are studied. A
Flipped classroom approach will be used for a part of the workshop to promote peer learning.

Program Requirements

Laptop/PC Requirement

All Program Attendees will be provided a laptop during their time in class. However, if the participant has
access to a personal laptop or PC, they will be able to practice the exercises on their own time in a location
that is convenient.

Text Book Requirement

The following text books will be required to participate in all instructional activities:
The Cryptoclub: Using Mathematics to Make and Break Secret Codes. A K Peters Ltd,
Janet Beissinger, Vera Pless.
Caesar Ciphers: An Introduction to Cryptography. Purdue University,
Lance Bryant.
Additional content will be provided by USF Instructional staff as needed.

Class Cohort Size Requirement

Each class will include a maximum of 80 participants (60 teachers, 20 Industry professionals and Community
leaders). Each participant will be required to attend all sessions that are conducted weekdays (Monday
through Friday).
1 Instructional hour and 5 hands-on/group activity hours.
2 classes will be hosted each day (1 Cohort per Class).

The morning class will be from 8:30 AM 2:30 PM.

The optional afternoon class will be from 3.30 PM 5 PM.
Evening tutoring sessions will be hosted by USF GAs from 5:30 PM 7:30 PM.

27
GAs will be available to all participants from both Cohort classes who desire to have additional help and
understanding of the content.

USF Instructor and GA Responsibilities

Instructor responsibilities for each class will be shared by 2 full-time faculty. Additionally, a GA will provide in-
class assistance for the duration of each class. In addition, GA will also provide optional office hours each
evening.

Evaluate Program Success

Each participant will complete the Training program by presenting a Cybersecurity topic of their choice, a
demonstration of a key concept, and achieve course learning outcomes. The instructors consider the
participant to have successfully completed the program after they have presented these items. Each
participant will receive a certificate upon completion of the Program and an annual support package to help
with any issue and can collaborate with colleagues on an online discussion board and get their doubts and
issues resolved timely or can contact a support line for faster turn-around times.

Outcomes:

Those that progress through this program will be aware of various cyberthreats and defend themselves
against attacks by using defensive maneuvers. They will also be able to educate their peers about different
cyberthreats and how to defend against them.
The goal is to grow and improve cybersecurity education within the Hillsborough county which has about 28
High schools. The program includes summer camps across the county designed for High School Teachers,
Industry Professionals and Community Leaders. The boot camp focuses on engaging the learners with sound
cybersecurity principles and teaching techniques.

One week intensive summer workshop for a cohort of 40 participants followed by sustained collaboration via
an online community and resource repository for use during the following year and beyond.

Assessment:

Learning is a cognitive process. All learning activities will involve problem-solving, decision making, reasoning
and creating. The participants will also have time to reflect, analyze and critique the how and what they are
learning. The focus will be to ensure participants learn and grow through the Boot camp experience.
Cybersecurity Principles and best practices will be reinforced through interactive activities, exercises, and labs.
Participant achievement will be assessed by:
1. Demonstrating introductory understanding of the principles through discussions and demonstrations;
2. Applying checklists for hardening applications, systems and networks; Utilizing common security tools
for troubleshooting common security issues;
3. Conducting a basic forensics examination on a sample-computing systems; Use of tools for network
security and analysis; Explaining cyber ethics and citizenship to instructors and teachers.

28
As consumers of the information and activities planned by the instructional staff, participants are an
important source of information. To determine learning outcomes, participants will participate in a pre/post
survey experience designed to detect changes along two critical areas of engagement.

Ongoing support

It is highly likely that they will be able to address most student questions based upon their prior completion of
the course; this is what we observed when using undergraduate TAs. However, one of the challenges of a self-
paced project course is that sometimes students have enough latitude to find themselves in some very tricky
coding and technology situations. During the entire period of the grant, a mobile help line with a graduate
student or member of the grant team will be available to answer questions and, if necessary, travel to the
individuals school to assist in problem solving.

III. Evaluation

The evaluation process would be continuous throughout the grant. The nature of that evaluation would
change as the grant proceeds, however initially, the content being created would be the focus of evaluation.
Subsequently, the focus would be the learning outcomes from using that content in the classroom.
Intellectual Merit

The project focuses on imparting Cybersecurity training and awareness to a mostly non-technical audience
and therefore must adapt existing Cybersecurity materials for a broad audience. The generalized instructional
material could be helpful for other projects aimed at the similar non-technical audience.
Broader Impacts
The project team also intends to disseminate through multiple channels the materials that are validated by
the project:
1. Publishing open-access materials for Introduction to Cybersecurity course content, including videos,
text, exercises, and self-test.
2. Opening access to the online workshop portal developed to train participants (using an LMS such as
Canvas free instructure.com site). This has been done for all the recent workshops conducted by one
of the co-PIs, and serves not only to disseminate materials but also allows a record of interested
parties to be maintained.
3. Outreach visits to local high schools, combined with existing and planned recruiting visits intended to
encourage students to consider Cybersecurity-related college majors, certifications and career paths.
4. Presentations, workshops and publications, relating to Cybersecurity Awareness over the course of
past projects.
The project team aims to produce Cybersecurity experts through boot camps who will have to then deliver
Introductory boot camps at their Institutions and Workplaces thereby creating a domino effect in the local
community and encouraging a security mindset and safe online behavior among people across disparate
professions.

Participants will actively use their Cybersecurity skills to educate others in their social circles. Participants who
29
are teachers will include basic Cybersecurity concepts to their students, Industry professionals would educate
colleagues about the importance of Cybersecurity and how it affects businesses financially, Community
leaders can educate local families about safe online behavior and how to protect their families from Identity
theft, Cyberbullying, etc.

Project Roles and Participants

The proposed project team includes faculty members from USFs Information Systems and Decision Sciences
department, which is part of the Muma College of Business, as well as the external evaluator (from the
University of Floridas College of Education). The ISDS department at USF is viewed highly for its
undergraduate program, including a ranking of #25 in Business Week magazines rankings for 2013.
Principal Investigator
Dr Shivendu Shivendu is an assistant professor in the Information Systems & Decision Sciences
department of University of South Florida. He has created and taught courses in information systems at
undergraduate, MBA/MS, and doctoral level. Dr. Shivendu has received a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering
from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a
MA and PhD in Economics from University of Southern California, Los Angeles. His work has been published
in Management Science, Information Systems Research, Journal of Management Information Systems, and
Information Technology Management. His research papers have won many Best Paper awards in conferences.
Before moving to academics, Dr Shivendu was a member of Indian Administrative Service and has worked as
Director Education in the state of Bihar in India.

Dr. Shivendus role in the project will be to interface with the School Districts in the Tampa Bay region for
teacher recruitment and offering of the CSP, AP classes in respective High Schools. He will be responsible for
all administrative aspects of the project and in administering the grant and meeting all financial as well as
activities reporting requirements.

Co-Principal Investigators
Dr. T. Grandon Gill, a Professor in the Information Systems and Decision Sciences department of the
University of South Florida and the academic director of the DBA program. Dr. Gill has extensive experience
with the case method, starting with his MBA at Harvard Business School. Dr. Gill served as PI on two prior NSF
case-development grants and facilitated the first two offerings of the undergraduate case method capstone
course at USF. For 11 years he was the principal instructor for the business application development course
required for the MIS major and also taught the follow-on object-oriented programming course. His innovative
integration of projects, videos and self-paced learning led to his winning the 2007 DSI Innovative Instruction
Competition and also the 2007 USF Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching award.

Dr. Gills role in the project will be to mentor faculty and graduate assistants as they develop materials using
the principles of his earlier programming course designs and will serve as principal advisor on the
operationalization of the proposed course for both teacher training and deployment in high schools.
Resources:
Hacksplaining - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOibgcOTyaRNjq__8ds2SxA

CS Unplugged - http://csunplugged.org/

About the Internet - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/video_popup/5/31/

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NOVA Labs Cybersecurity game - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/cyber

Online Privacy Tool - http://www.takethislollipop.com/

Privacy Compliance for Educators - https://ikeepsafe.org/

Cybersecurity Principles for Teens - http://www.hackerhighschool.org/

Media smarts Cybersecurity Game - http://mediasmarts.ca/sites/mediasmarts/files/lesson-

plans/lesson_winning_cyber_security_game.pdf

References:
[1] - http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/cybersecurity-talent.pdf

[2] - http://work.chron.com/average-salary-cyber-security-8735.html

[3] - http://www.cs.csub.edu/~melissa/revs-up/careers.php

[4] - https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/02/statement-president-report-commission-
enhancing-national-cybersecurity

[5] - https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/security

[6] - https://www.isc2.org/cissp/default.aspx

[7] - http://www.isaca.org/Certification/CISM-Certified-Information-Security-Manager/Pages/default.aspx

[8] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Dyn_cyberattack

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