2025 Professional Development Opportunity
Course Description
The National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition (NCTC) is offering an opportunity for high school teachers to learn about the Foundations of Cybersecurity. This is a 3-credit hour graduate course to prepare teachers to learn the foundations of cybersecurity based on the ACM CSEC Curriculum Guidelines. It is an asynchronous online course designed for educators. The course contains exercises, videos, lectures, quizzes, and end-of-module exams.
The course consists of 5 modules:
- Trustworthy Cyberspace
- Principles, Methods, and Tools for Trustworthy Systems
- Vulnerabilities, Exploits and Attacks
- Defending Data in the Digital Age
- Cybersecurity in Context
Network Architecture is an optional module for teachers needing a review of network services, ports, and protocols.
Credit
Participants may earn up to 45 professional development clock hours upon successful completion of all modules, including quizzes and tests. Acceptance of these hours is determined by individual state or district policies; it is the participant’s responsibility to verify eligibility for credit.
Graduate credit is only awarded to participants who both successfully complete the course and enroll in the Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity through the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock or Dakota State University.
Register Online
Register here: https://teachcyber.org/foundations-of-cybersecurity-registration/
Registration is open until October 1, 2025.
The enrollment fee is $350 and $150 will be refunded upon successful completion of the course.
Course Deadline
The course ends on December 14, 2025
Course Syllabus
Course Description:
In a world sustained by digital infrastructure, cybersecurity is essential—not only for protecting systems and data, but for preserving trust in modern life. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to cybersecurity as the foundation of trustworthy systems. Students will explore key principles such as confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA), along with risk analysis, system design, secure development practices, and the human and adversarial dimensions of cyber threats.
Through real-world case studies, interactive exercises, and analysis of major cyberattacks, learners will investigate how vulnerabilities emerge and how cybersecurity principles like least privilege, system monitoring, and defense in depth mitigate risk. The course builds a systems-thinking mindset, emphasizing the complexity and interdependence of cyberspace, and equips students to think like defenders—anticipating threats, assessing tradeoffs, and making informed decisions.
No prior technical experience is required. This course is designed for anyone curious about how cybersecurity works, why it matters, and how to build a more secure digital future.
Overview:
The National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition (NCTC) is offering an opportunity for high school teachers to learn the Foundations of Cybersecurity. This is a 3-credit hour graduate course that teaches the foundations of cybersecurity based on the ACM CSEC Curriculum Guidelines.
Important Logistics:
This course is asynchronous, online, and self-paced.
Contact
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Course Standards
The course is based upon the Supplement to CSEC 2017, Foundational Cybersecurity Content and Instructional Guidance for Secondary and Postsecondary Cybersecurity Education. ACM published the Supplement in January, 2025.
Download a copy here: https://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.1145/3715982
