Information Technology/Instructional Technology: The Perfect Match

Online Course Evaluation

#1 & 2. Information Systems Security Professionals: INFO 410 was a course I took during my undergraduate studies and I feel works well with Instructional Technology practices. Both concentrations can span the education and business sector and aim to enhance computer security and create a positive learning community for its end users. What I realized the most in the course was that it was a bit too independent. This may have its advantages; however, courses with discussion boards and learner-to-learner interaction enhance the chances of academic success.  Therefore, in referencing Quality Matters (QM) rubrics (2010), I decided to focus on Learner Interaction and Engagement as the standard that would help  improve INFO 410. The goals of the course are to describe threats to information security, identify types of attacks,explain integral parts of overall good information, discuss issues related to access control, understand risk management and its role in information security, and describe information security policies, guidelines, and models (Coulson, 2011).  According to QM’s 5.1-5.4 standards (2010), “learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives, learning activities provide opportunities for interaction that support active learning, the instructor’s plan for classroom response time and feedback on assignments are clearly stated, and the requirements for student interaction are clearly identified.”

#3. My evaluation results are that I received and “A” in the course. However, the way I would evaluate my students would be through more media interaction as narrative (qualitative), collaborative, communicative, and creative. Below is the INFO 410 course schedule (Coulson, 2011)--the bold would be the evaluation of my students.  When I took the course, the class was so independently structured that I could have received more feedback. The class was made up of online quizzes (where a student automatically found out their score upon completion), a dumpster dive assignment (where I received no feedback from my peers), and a final exam (where my score was automatically generated).  I want my students to understand (qualitative approach) what they are doing right and what they could do better for next time.

Ways to Enhance Learner Interaction in the Course: Utilizing Tools and Methodologies

Week 1	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Practice quiz on Moodle-effective course management system for weekly assessment of material Quiz
Week 2	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) EduTagger-sharing scholarly articles with other students Quiz
Week 3	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Classroom 2.0-practical computer technology assessments/Professional Development with those in the field Quiz
Week 4	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Community of Inquiry—discussion board review Quiz
Week 5	Midterm (Online)
Week 6	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Groupware forum to effective IT practices-strategic business management to manage IT problems Quiz
Week 7	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Google Apps assignments-cloud-based learning to link students and teachers together Quiz
Week 8	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz CyberCiege Due (Information Assurance Video Game) Dumpster Dive Due
Week 9	Lecture Podcast Lecture (Slides/Transcripts) Quiz
Week 10	Final (Online) SurveyMonkey-gathering of comprehensive feedback from students and faculty Feedback: Newsroom, online conventions with universities interested in INFO 410, newsletters

#4. In order to promote the cyber-security learning objectives addressed, I believe the method of instruction should be changed a bit. I believe more solid literature base should be used to enhance student-to-student interaction and get students more aware of the information systems literature base. Examples of adequate literature include: Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, Journal of Information Technology Education, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, Education Week, and Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, more hands-on, learner-centered methods, which includes Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), more suitable online environments and applications, expert interviews in cyber security, focus group conversations, and public test cases retrieved through scholarly journals would have completed the objectives to the course and provided a stronger and more valid evaluation process.

Resources

Coulson, Tony. “Information Systems Security Professionals.” CSUSB, 2011. Web.

Higher ed program>Program rubric. 2010. QM. Retrieved from http://www.qmprogram.org/rubric