Nowadays, cyberattack incidents are happening on a daily basis. As a result, the demand for a larger and more challenging workforce is increasing. To handle this demand, academic institutions offer cybersecurity courses and degree programs into their curricula; however, more efforts are needed to address the high demand of the cybersecurity workforce. This work aims to bridge the gap between workforce shortage and the number of qualified graduates to fill the positions. We approach this by introducing cybersecurity concepts at the early stage of undergraduate curricula of computer science and engineering programs. Secure programming is critical as many cybersecurity incidents happen due to software vulnerabilities. However, most UG-level programming courses pay little attention to secure programming practices. As a result, many students graduate with limited knowledge of security vulnerabilities that might plague the developed software. Our goal in this work is to introduce secure programming at introductory level programming courses so that students should be aware of cybersecurity issues and use this security mindset in advanced level courses and projects in their degree programs. To accomplish this goal, we developed intuitive and interactive modules emphasizing secure programming in C++ and Java courses to help students become secure software developers. These modules will be used alongside the coursework to emphasize certain vulnerabilities within the programming environment of a specific language and allow students to learn cybersecurity topics, enforcing a solid foundation and understanding. We developed cybersecurity educational modules for C++ and Java as they are amongst the popular languages and used in introductory programming courses. While designing these modules, we kept in mind that the topics must be relevant to real-world issues in the software industry. We used a variety of resources and benchmarks to ensure the authenticity of our chosen topics, including Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) and Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE). While choosing module topics to develop, we had some restrictions. For example, the topics must be introductory and easy to understand. These modules are geared towards freshman or sophomore-level UG students who have just started programming. The developed security modules have four components: power-point slides, lab description, code template for the lab, and complete solution. The complete solution for each module will be provided to the instructors to check students’ work if they adopt the modules in their courses. The modules developed for a C++ programming course include labs on input validation, integer overflow, random number generation, function call with incorrect argument type, and dangling pointers. In Java, we developed lab modules for input validation, integer overflow, null object reference, random number generator, and data encapsulation.
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Learning the Impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Modules in an Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Classroom
In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a set of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) based modules, created to be deployed in two courses: one in introductory computing and one in algorithms. Our objective is to ensure that engineering undergraduate students, who are not historically exposed to DEI content, are introduced to these important topics in the context of their technical coursework and that they understand the relevance of DEI to their careers. We created 6 modules that cover a wide range of topics including untold stories throughout the history of computing and algorithms, identity and intersectionality in engineering, designs from engineering that have high societal impact, the LGBTQ+ experience in engineering, engineering and mental health, and cultural diversity within engineering. Each module gives a brief overview of the topic, followed by an associated assignment. We made all of these modules available to the students in the two courses and told them to choose one to complete. Each student engaged with their selected module in four specific ways: (1) watching a relevant video; (2) reading and annotating a provided article; (3) responding in a written reflection to a set of specific prompts relevant to the module; and (4) conducting an interview with a peer or community member using a list of suggested questions about the module’s contents . Afterwards, we required students to communicate what they learned through completing and submitting a graded final deliverable. This deliverable can be a video, slide presentation, a written op-ed piece, or a piece of art about the work they completed in the module. We evaluate the content of the modules through a survey that assesses the students’ interest in the modules and determines the utility of the modules in the context of the study of computing and algorithms. Based on the feedback of these surveys along with feedback from the instructors of the courses, we will further develop and improve the structure and content of these modules and expand their reach to additional engineering courses and disciplines.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2217741
- PAR ID:
- 10487923
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Society for Engineering Education
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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