Board of industry leaders instrumental in course development, which rolls out to students in fall 2018
As part of Computer Science Education Week, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) announced today the advisory board that is assisting in the development of its new course – Cybersecurity – which students will have access to in fall 2018. The board has been critically important in curriculum development to ensure students have access to the most in-demand and relevant experiences in a field that is rapidly evolving every day.
In order to empower students with the skills they need to thrive in college and career, PLTW works closely with educators and industry to develop and validate its programs, ensuring that PLTW programs are the standard in career learning. As a part of this process, PLTW evaluates and verifies which in-demand, transportable skills leading companies need in their workforce and integrates these competencies and skills – such as problem solving, critical and creative thinking, communication, and collaboration – into the classroom experience.
“PLTW is committed to providing students with inspiring and relevant learning experiences,” said PLTW Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer David Greer. “That’s why we are excited to announce the advisory board for PLTW’s Cybersecurity course that includes national experts from industry and education, as well as leaders from government and research institutions, to create even stronger connections between PLTW courses and real-world concepts students will experience in their careers.”
Cybersecurity is a course in the PLTW Computer Science program, which engages high school students in interdisciplinary real-world challenges that help them develop the computational thinking and computer science knowledge and skills to be successful in any career path they take. The Cybersecurity course exposes high school students to the ever-growing and far-reaching field of cybersecurity and allows students to explore concepts such as secure information technology systems, protection against cyber threats, and the ethical impact of cybersecurity situations.
“Organizations continue to struggle with finding security talent from leadership to entry level members to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and manage complex infrastructures,” said James Robinson, PLTW Cybersecurity board member and TPRM product management/information security officer at Optiv. “Programs like PLTW’s Computer Science and cybersecurity course are critical to help encourage future generations to meet the cybersecurity skills needs of tomorrow. Optiv is proud to support organizations like PLTW as part of our efforts to help our clients make clarity from the security chaos.”
Cybersecurity course advisors include:
- James Robinson, Sr. Director, TPRM Product Management/Information Security Officer, Optiv
- Adam Evans, Vice President of Information Security Services, Royal Bank of Canada
- Davina Pruitt-Mentle, Lead for Academic Engagement of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Frank Breitinger, University of New Haven, Cyber Forensics Research and Education Group
- Analyn Alquitran, Teacher, Aurora Public Schools
The Cybersecurity course is in the final stages of development and will be available for schools across the U.S. as a beta version in the 2018-19 school year.
About Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. More than 10,500 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org
###
Media Contact:
Jennifer Erbacher
Project Lead The Way
(317) 669-0871
jerbacher@pltw.org