Seeking Suggestions for Enhancing Student Engagement in Security+ Class
- By M. Shehata
- CompTIA Security+
- 10 Replies
Dear Brian,Welcome M.Shehata!
I'm a big fan of active learning and always try to use different techniques to make sure my learners are and stay engaged. I try to mix up my methods offering some from within a lesson and others at end of a lesson. For the Security+ course a couple of ideas might be:
I do demos using basic OS installed tools (Windows Event Viewer) and web browsers (examine the CompTIA.org site certificate in Chrome). I take students to the NVD to investigate CVEs and to the FIRST.org site to see a CVSS calculator.
- Ask students to connect topics back to the CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability),
- Ask the students to connect methods back to the Security Controls (categories and functional controls), and
- Something I call 'Where have we seen this before?' where learners connect topics (important to mastering compare and contrast questions).
I caution about using too many tools or visiting too many websites. Adult learners can only recall for or five things in a day. If you try to do too much in one day they may not be able to recall the topic the next day (but they may remember the site or the tool).
As far as learners hands on activities in Security+ I stay with the PBQs and Labs in CertMaster. I may walk through the Exploring the Lab exercise with a class but if it's not a bootcamp and time allows I try to organize small teams to complete a lab and then present it to the class. I use teams because if one person is leading a demo and goes blank or has a tech issue it becomes awkward and stops the learning for all. In bootcamp courses the students should do the labs on their own time. I try to fit in a walk through of the Vulnerability Assessment and Packet Capture labs.
I hope this helps.
Brian
.
Thank you for the great suggestions! I really like the idea of connecting topics to the CIA triad and Security Controls, and your hands-on approach sounds like a great way to keep students engaged.
Do you have any specific recommendations for engaging activities or labs that work well for the Vulnerability Assessment or Packet Capture labs?
Thanks again!
M. Shehata




