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On the global knowledge components in an information security curriculum–a multidisciplinary perspective

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Abstract

Because of the borderless feature of the Internet, information security threats could come from anywhere around the globe. In this research, we propose adding global knowledge components in the information security curriculum using a multi-disciplinary approach. We argue that a global perspective has been lacking in the current information security curriculum. We then propose several knowledge components to be added in the curriculum to enhance the global perspective. We also examine how to incorporate knowledge from various related disciplines, including political science, criminal justice, and business administration. Through our empirical study on faculty from various disciplines and the industry practitioners with first-hand information security knowledge, we confirm that the proposed knowledge components are relevant to the information security education and practice. Analyzing the similarities and differences among responses from various disciplines, we also found that albeit different disciplines have slightly different emphases on the curriculum components, they all tend to agree on the importance of adding the global perspectives in information security education. Our research could be of value to the educators in the information security field when considering incorporating a global perspective into the curriculum. It could also shed some lights when examining the relevance of global information security to various disciplines.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Information Systems and Quantitative Methods, McCoy College of Business Administration, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA

    Ju Long & Garry White

Authors
  1. Ju Long
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  2. Garry White
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ju Long.

Appendix A: Survey instrument

Appendix A: Survey instrument

1.1 Information security curriculum international needs survey

You are invited to participate in a study to help better develop Information Security Curriculum involving international considerations. We will appreciate your assistance. This survey contains seven items and ten topics.

  1. 1.

    What is your teaching and research field?

  2. A.

    Accounting

  3. B.

    Finance

  4. C.

    Economics

  5. D.

    Marketing

  6. E.

    Management

  7. F.

    Computer Information Systems & QM

  8. G.

    Criminal Justice

  9. H.

    Political Science

  10. I.

    Computer Science

For the following item #2 and topics #1 to #10, how interested are you in the following information security issues and topics? Please rate your interest with the following scale:

  1. A.

    Strongly NOT Valued/Relevant

  2. B.

    NOT Valued/Relevant

  3. C.

    No Opinion/Undecided/Neutral

  4. D.

    Valued/Relevant

  5. E.

    Strongly Valued/Relevant

  1. 2.

    How important is the understanding of the international information security issues for you to be prepared for the working world?

  2. Topic 1.

    Introduction on International information security risks.

  3. Topic 2.

    International sources and techniques of cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism

  4. Topic 3.

    Information & privacy laws from foreign countries and how they differ.

  5. Topic 4.

    Various measures and technologies that different governments and foreign agencies are using in fighting international cyber-crime and how they differ.

  6. Topic 5.

    Current international laws and policies on cyber security and how these laws are enforced in different countries.

  7. Topic 6.

    How international organizations, such as U.N. and E.U. are coordinating the global efforts in fighting against cyber-crime and cyber-terrorism

  8. Topic 7.

    The incentives for governments and companies of developing nations to enforce security regulations and policies.

  9. Topic 8.

    The obstacles for governments and companies of developing nations to improve their information security infrastructure.

  10. Topic 9.

    Different cultural values and ethics concerning information security.

  11. Topic 10.

    Introduction on information warfare.

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Long, J., White, G. On the global knowledge components in an information security curriculum–a multidisciplinary perspective. Educ Inf Technol 15, 317–331 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-010-9121-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-010-9121-0

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