Clarkson University has been granted a three-year National Science Foundation SaTC award for enhancing and integrating cybersecurity content in the undergraduate software engineering and computer science curricula, using a Project-Based Learning approach (PjBL) with a focus on Identity and Access Management (IAM).
Led by Clarkson University, the project will be a collaborative effort with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The Clarkson team includes Daqing Hou (PI), Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Director of Software Engineering; Faraz Hussain (co-PI), Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jan DeWaters (co-PI), Associate Professor of Institute for STEM Education; and Jeanna Matthews (co-PI), Professor of Computer Science. The UTSA team includes Sumit Jha (PI), Turgay Korkmaz (co-PI), and Palden Lama (co-PI), all professors of Computer Science. Dr. Kelley Madden from Brockport Research Institute will serve as the external program evaluator.
Project-based learning and other active learning practices have been shown to increase student motivation and engagement, raise examination performance, and reduce failure rates. The overarching goal of this project is to encourage and facilitate authentic learning experiences in cybersecurity by threading an IAM-themed PjBL curriculum through existing computing curricula. This approach will expand cybersecurity education to all computing-related students, not just those enrolled in dedicated cybersecurity programs. Ultimately, it will improve student learning outcomes, including personal competencies, mastery of cybersecurity content, and higher-order thinking skills.