Course Syllabus

Summer 2025 | CIS-2245-VO01 - Concepts of Computer Security

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

David Ginter
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Deb Grant

General Education Requirements

VSCS Digital and Technical Literacy

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to computer and information security with a focus on LAN technology and covers basic concepts found in the CompTIA Security+ certification including network infrastructure, access control, security threats, security applications, encryption, and monitoring. Recommended prior or concurrent learning: Network and Security Foundations and Desktop Operating Systems.

Essential Objectives

1. Explain the roles authentication, authorization, and access control play in a secure computing environment and the associated technologies.
2. Discuss different types of common host/client threats such as viruses, worms, Trojans, backdoors, rootkits, application weakness, and malware.
3. Describe the potential impact and remediation of threats to infrastructure and services.
4. Describe the technologies involved in secure encrypted communication.
5. Propose solutions to threats and vulnerabilities such as hardening network devices, hosts, services, and applications.
6. Demonstrate the use of common tools for monitoring a system, network, and vulnerability testing.
7. Describe security issues related to wireless and mobile networking and methods for increasing security.
8. Identify basic infrastructure steps for data security and protection including data backup, disk redundancy, power backup, and environmental controls.
9. Discuss organizational security including social engineering, physical security, auditing, disaster recovery, incidence response, and policies.
10. Describe how to secure a cloud-based or hybrid computing environment.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

The artificial part is true, the Intelligence part is a lie.

Generative Pre-Trained Transformers use their training information to generate patterns of text based on statistical models of what word or phrase should follow next. Most training information comes from easily accessible electronic sources, primarily the Internet. In short Chat bots read a bunch of unreliable source information and paste together phrases it thinks you want to hear.

Use of AI in this course is allowed like all other search sources with the following exceptions and conditions.

• AI results (or parts thereof) should NEVER be cut and pasted or copied in any way into discussions, homework, assignments, quizzes or exams.
• AI search results can not be used as a primary source (similar to Wikipedia)
• AI results can not be used to impersonate yourself in any context of this course.
• AI results should be properly cited and referenced when used.

Any violation of this policy will be considered a violation of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

This course will be heavily based on uCertify SEC+ notes, lectures, labs, quizzes in conjunction with assignments, discussions, instructor's labs and quizzes. uCertify modules contain extensive written content, lectures, and learning tools. There are also virtual environments for network and security activities.

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation in this course will be based on the following:

Discussions 10%
Labs 20%
Assignments 20%
Quizzes 20%
Tests 20%
Projects: 10%

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Missing & Late Work Policy

It is expected that students will actively engage and participate in class by contributing weekly. Late work will be accepted with a 10%/day penalty up to 5 days late after which it will not be accepted. Sometimes it becomes necessary to post answers to an assignment shortly after the assignment due date. If the answers to an assignment have been posted, the assignment cannot be submitted after that.

In the event that you find you will be submitting work late, communicate the situation with the instructor. If I don't hear from you and you are not contributing, I have to assume you are going to drop the course or accept a low grade.

Group Assignments - it is expected you will participate in group activities. Failure to communicate with your group or instructor will result in a 0 for that assignment.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.