IDS 493 Course Overview
IDS 493 guides students in the creation and development of a professional electronic portfolio that integrates a student’s unique individual experiences, skills, and results in a way that is beneficial to their professional career development.
Reflective Essay
Portfolio Reflective Essay
Parker Fitch
Department of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
IDS 493: Electronic Portfolio Project
Dr. Kat LaFever
November 15, 2024
Introduction
Cybersecurity is an inherently interdisciplinary study as it not only encompasses the various technical skills and principles relevant to protecting computer systems, but also ties in economic, social, legal, and regulatory perspectives and principles. Through various interdisciplinary coursework and experiences, I have learned and improved upon various important skills that will positively contribute to a successful career in the field of cybersecurity in the near future. The skills that have been most refined and improved upon through these experiences are critical thinking, networking, and cybersecurity. Specifically, the ability to solve problems in relevant scenarios through critical thinking skills, the ability to understand and complete networking tasks in relevant scenarios, and the ability to understand and complete cybersecurity tasks in relevant scenarios.
Networking Principles
Another one of the overarching themes in my coursework and undergraduate experiences is the focus on improvement of networking principles and techniques. The main ways in which this theme was presented and conveyed was through interactive coursework such as labs and realistic scenarios or simulations, as well as internship experiences. One example of how my coursework focused on improving networking principles and techniques is through networking labs that allow students to implement networking principles and techniques such as routing, port forwarding, network topologies, encryption, and troubleshooting in simulated environments. A specific lab that helped with refining and improving my networking principles and techniques was one that placed the student as a network analyst for an organization that was attempting to find specific packets or traffic on the network that potentially was malicious or causing issues with the systems by setting up and configuring the network and then using packet monitoring software to look for specific packets by filtering based on various network values to find the problem. This coursework allowed other students and myself to refine and improve networking principles and techniques through a specialized simulation meant to represent a work environment and realistic situation for the student to solve.
Another example of how my coursework focused on improving networking principles and techniques is through networking scenarios that allowed students to implement networking principles and techniques alongside other disciplines such as mathematics, economics, and other disciplines. A specific networking scenario that allowed for this was one that placed the student as a network engineer who was tasked not only with creating a proper networking topology and environment by applying networking principles and techniques, but also by applying mathematics and economics in order to figure out how much total materials would be needed based on measurements and calculations as well as figuring out how much all the materials would cost based on those calculations for the network environment they created. This coursework allowed other students and myself to refine and improve networking principles and techniques as well as understand the mathematical and economic perspectives involved in networking.
An example of how my undergraduate experiences focused on refining and improving networking principles and techniques is through an internship in which I completed various networking tasks for the betterment of the organization. This was done mainly through helping with networking configuration, management, and network scans and helped the organization while also being a learning experience for myself to practice utilizing the networking principles and techniques I had learned previously, as well as learning new networking principles and techniques on the job in order to accommodate the specific work environment I was stationed in. The networking labs and simulations provided me with a level of experience and knowledge that made me feel much more prepared going into the internship, while the internship helped in learning further knowledge about networking as a whole as well as what the workforce is like for cybersecurity and networking.
Cybersecurity Principles
The final overarching theme in my coursework and undergraduate experiences is the focus on improvement of cybersecurity principles and techniques. The main ways in which this theme was presented and conveyed was through interactive coursework such as labs and realistic scenarios or simulations, as well as internship experiences. One example of how my coursework focused on improving cybersecurity principles and techniques is through cybersecurity labs that allow students to implement cybersecurity principles and techniques such as cloud security, access control, application security, cryptography, network security, authentication, and ethical hacking. A specific lab that helped with refining and improving my cybersecurity principles and techniques was one that placed the student as an ethical hacker attempting to gain access to a host computer by making use of standard hacking programs and techniques on a vulnerable host. This coursework allowed other students and myself to apply the cybersecurity principles, techniques, and knowledge in a roundabout way that also gave students a broader perspective on cybersecurity by letting them act as the opposition in a purely simulated environment so that they can better understand the thoughts of malicious entities in the field of cybersecurity.
Another example of how my coursework focused on improving cybersecurity principles and techniques is through cybersecurity scenarios that allow students to implement cybersecurity principles and techniques alongside legislative principles. A specific cybersecurity scenario that allowed for this was one that placed the student as a cybersecurity professional working in the government alongside members of the government to help in decision making as it pertains to cybersecurity legislation where they were tasked with explaining various cybersecurity principles and techniques in a way that was accommodating to the legislative needs and context of the specific government. This coursework allowed other students and myself to refine and improve cybersecurity principles and techniques as well as understand the legal perspective of cybersecurity.
An example of how my undergraduate experiences focused on refining and improving cybersecurity principles and techniques is through an internship in which I completed various cybersecurity tasks for the betterment of the organization. This was done mainly through helping with an intrusion detection system that would help in catching early track of potentially malicious activity on the organizations network while also being a learning experience for myself to practice utilizing the cybersecurity principles and techniques I had learned previously, as well as learning new cybersecurity principles and techniques on the job in order to accommodate the specific work environment I was stationed in. The cybersecurity labs and simulations provided me with a level of experience and knowledge that made me feel much more prepared going into the internship, while the internship helped in learning further knowledge about cybersecurity as a whole as well as what the workforce is like for the field of cybersecurity.
Critical Thinking
One of the overarching themes in my coursework and undergraduate experiences is the focus on improvement of critical thinking skills. The main ways in which this theme was presented and conveyed was through interactive coursework such as labs and realistic scenarios or simulations, as well as internship experiences. The utilization of labs, realistics scenarios, simulations, and internships in developing critical thinking skills is extremely important since it allows for students to engage in interactive processes that task the student with identifying and solving a problem through researching and analyzing information while also considering various perspectives that allow the student to obtain a more holistic understanding of the problem and it’s solution.
The labs and simulations are the best possible way for students to receive interactive learning opportunities that refine and improve their critical thinking skills by allowing them to solve problems that are relevant to their field of interest by going through processes that are as close as possible to the real thing which prepares them for actual work in the field. The scenarios are the best possible way for students to receive intuitive and challenging learning opportunities that refine and improve their critical thinking skills by allowing them to think critically about a realistic problem and go through the necessary processes to reach the solution while considering the various avenues and perspectives necessary to gain a more complete understanding of the topics at hand which prepares them to have the right mindset and perspective going into the field. The internship takes it a step further and makes use of the preparation from all their previous learning, including the labs, simulations, and scenarios in order to test their critical thinking skills within an actual position in the field of cybersecurity that helps to aid the organization as well as furthering their own learning before securing and official position in an organization.
Conclusion
Critical thinking, networking, and cybersecurity skills were the most refined and improved upon skills throughout my coursework and undergraduate experiences. The coursework and experiences that most contributed to these important developments were participating in and completing labs, simulations, and internship experiences. These methods were specifically effective in aiding professional development in the field of cybersecurity by allowing for realistic training and testing that best taught the necessary skills and techniques required for relevant networking, cybersecurity, and problem solving tasks while also instilling confidence in the students and their work. This efficiency was possible through the interactive nature of these processes which allowed myself and other students to learn in a unique way that was fitting for a career in cybersecurity as it increases engagement, retention, and relevance compared to other ways of learning (Omar et al., 2018). This type of learning is especially beneficial for interdisciplinary studies such as cybersecurity as it allows students to have better access to relevant learning opportunities that cover topics in a multitude of ways as well as holistically which leads to a better understanding of the material at hand (Emmersen et al., 2019). Not only is this type of interactive learning efficient for establishing an understanding, it is also important for students’ professional development in instilling confidence in their knowledge and ability in the field of cybersecurity, it also helps in building determination and passion for the craft which is important for thriving in the field of cybersecurity as a career.
References
Emmersen, T., Hatfield, J. M., Kosseff, J., & Orr IV, S. R. (2019). The USNA’s Interdisciplinary Approach to Cybersecurity Education. Computer (00189162), 52(3), 48–57. http://proxy.lib.odu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=135750684&scope=site
Omar, T., Venkatesan, S., & Amamra, A. (2018). Development of Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity Program: A Literature Survey. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 1–15. http://proxy.lib.odu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=131758499&scope=site
Payne, B. K., Wu He, Wittkower, D. E., & Hongyi Wu. (2021). Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society: Developing an Interdisciplinary, Open, General Education Cybersecurity Course. Journal of Information Systems Education, 32(2), 134–149. http://proxy.lib.odu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=151343101&scope=site