Contextual integration

Abstract

The computer security and information assurance (CSIA) curriculum framework introduced in this paper presents technical computer security issues in terms of their social, legal, and ethical context. This approach to CSIA education fosters ethical reasoning by connecting skills and knowledge of technical and contextual content to real world situations; applying ethical reasoning when assessing CSIA problems and potential CSIA solutions in multiple settings; and framing the ethical dilemmas or competing value systems which are intrinsically a part of implementing CSIA technologies. Initial implementation of this integrative framework occurred at Marymount University in an introductory graduate-level computer security course, which is the first in a series of courses based on this model. Preliminary results from that pilot course are presented with a list of the resulting challenges that will be addressed in subsequent course offerings.