Workforce Issues

The Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division worked with subject matter experts from government, the private sector, and academia to develop an umbrella framework that establishes a national baseline representing the essential knowledge and skills IT security practitioners must have to perform their jobs. The IT Security EBK builds directly on established work and is not intended to represent a standard, directive, or policy by DHS. Instead, it further clarifies key IT security terms and concepts for well-defined competencies, identifies notional security roles, and defines primary functional perspectives to help advance the IT security training and certification landscape as we strive to ensure that we have the most qualified and appropriately trained IT security workforce possible.

The Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division worked with subject matter experts from government, the private sector, and academia to develop an umbrella framework that establishes a national baseline representing the essential knowledge and skills IT security practitioners must have to perform their jobs. The IT Security EBK builds directly on established work and is not intended to represent a standard, directive, or policy by DHS. Instead, it further clarifies key IT security terms and concepts for well-defined competencies, identifies notional security roles, and defines primary functional perspectives to help advance the IT security training and certification landscape as we strive to ensure that we have the most qualified and appropriately trained IT security workforce possible.

For the last few months, ELI has been focusing on authentic learning--learning by doing rather than learning by listening. Authentic learning allows students to use the practices of professionals to gain experience, understanding and motivation. ELI just released the second white paper in its Authentic Learning series: "Approaches that Work: How Authentic Learning is Transforming Higher Education" (see http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/ApproachesThatWorkHo/44821). The paper provides multiple examples of how colleges and universities are using these unique environments to improve student engagement and knowledge.