Including Cybersecurity in Standards of Learning

Including cybersecurity in standards of learning (SOL) is a growing topic and concern that is being addressed. As efforts are being made to push this policy/strategy, there are ethical issues that are encountered, and evaluations have to be made on the costs and benefits of this policy. There are chances that the policy could cause limitations with rights and protection. Will addressing and even considering implementing new policies, it is a lengthy process because of these factors and to ensure that the policy is a good fit for society and does not come with more costs than benefits.

There can be a number of ethical implications that arise when considering a policy such as including cybersecurity in standards of learning. One of these ethical implications can be that many people, often those who instruct K-12 students are either not educated on cybersecurity or have the best education and background to be able to instruct students on the topic. Though there can be training, and courses teachers can go through which would eliminate this implication, it would take some time for those courses to be created and regulated and also for teachers to go through the training. With the increase of students interested in pursuing a cybersecurity or IT degree, which would also be a factor in resolving this issue.

The benefits that come with including cybersecurity in standards of learning heavily outweigh the costs and negatives. As time goes on, not only the field of cybersecurity but the field of technology itself is evolving every day and there are always new threats that are stronger and more complex. Teaching students in schools about cybersecurity is not only a benefit to helping bring future professionals to the field, but also looking for a way to protect students as that is one of the main responsibilities and priorities of schools.

After reviewing different articles, there is a trend of benefits listed for including cybersecurity education in standards of learning. One of these benefits and one of the most important is improved online safety. This is critical because nowadays younger students are fresh to technology and getting their first ever device to interact with others online. By providing them with proper and baseline cybersecurity education, it will eliminate a number of threats that students interact with on a day to day basic because they “do not know any better.” This can also consist of cyber bullying and younger kids harming each other online and sensitive information being leaked without permission. Training and costs to implement the policy would be considered a cost to this policy while also considering the amount of time it would take to train and find people educated and willing to apply cybersecurity to standards of learning.

When it comes to what rights and information is being protected by this policy, students are learning how to protect themselves online and knowing how to decipher threats and what actions to take. This will protect valuable information and money from individuals and students by including cybersecurity in standards of learning. The policy also appropriately addresses the rights of everyone that would be affected by it.

To conclude this policy analysis, including cybersecurity in standards of learning would not interfere with the rights of students and others that are affected by the policy. Including cybersecurity in standards of learning comes with many benefits and little to no costs. Providing K-12 students with education on cybersecurity, consequences that come with mishandling personal information and teaching them cybersecurity best practices is a step in the right direction to battling the evolution of technology and the threats that come with it.

References

• Shackelford, S. J., Proia, A. A., Martell, B., & Craig, A. N. (2015). Toward a Global Cybersecurity Standard of Care?: Exploring the Implications of the 2014 NIST Cybersecurity Framework on Shaping Reasonable National and International Cybersecurity Practices. Texas International Law Journal, 50(2), 303–353.
• https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-cybersecurity-education-should-top-priority-leaders-inspiroz/
• Loftus, N., & Narman, H. S. (2023). Use of Machine Learning in Interactive Cybersecurity and Network Education. Sensors (14248220), 23(6), 2977. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu/10.3390/s23062977
• Austin, G. (Ed.). (2020). Cyber security education: Principles and policies. Routledge.