November's Topic and GIVEAWAY!!

[Jwehrle]

Hey everyone, we know that a lot of you are winding down your semesters and/or training programs, and since we are also approaching the end of the year, we feel it is time for some collaboration, and another GIVEAWAY! For this month, we want to make this more of an interactive “topic” and less of a question.

If you think back to your journey with your CompTIA solutions, what was a goal you had for your course/program, and how were you able to achieve that goal (or work towards) through your work within the CompTIA platforms?

Any and ALL answers are welcome, and we really want to make this interactive, so feel free to chime into each other’s responses, or our responses, if applicable. Each submission will enter you into the giveaway (for CompTIA “swag” or FREE content, your choice), and we will draw MULTIPLE winners at the end of the month. Thank you all and we look forward to hearing of some great feedback, testimonials and best practices that you are using today!

 

[Brian Callahan]

I'll start.

When I was hired for my current position, my primary task was to revitalize an information security subprogram within a larger undergraduate and graduate degree program (it's an IT degree in which students choose a specialty focus area, of which information security is one of many options). The degree program had a few years back wound down a graduate-level initiative teaching a Masters-level information security degree to Naval officers in conjunction with the US Navy. The number of students enrolled in the infosec specialty had declined since then and there just were not faculty available to teach infosec courses.

One of the things I noticed right away was that undergrad students enrolled in the infosec specialty were generally not taking any security courses until their Senior year. With that kind of lag time before starting their infosec coursework, I noticed that some students were coming in overprepared for the infosec courses, as they had received most of the course knowledge from internships, and others were coming in with absolutely no experience whatsoever. And yet others were somewhere in between. Which made it very difficult to create courses that could engage everyone at their individual level.

That's where CompTIA, and specifically the Security+, was a huge help. While we did not go with any official CompTIA solutions (for no reason other than I didn't have the time to examine them), just the fact that CompTIA makes available a standard curriculum through the Sec+ allowed me to integrate a Sec+ bootcamp course over our 2.5 week winter break term. It has allowed me to begin teaching fundamental infosec knowledge much earlier, for some students as early as their Freshman year, allows me to know I have a standard baseline of knowledge for all my infosec students when they enter their upper-level courses, has allowed me to drum up interest for the infosec specialty, and has provided an opportunity for students who don't want to do infosec careers but understand the value of security to gain that fundamental knowledge in a way that still fits with their schedules.

While I'm sure it wasn't CompTIA alone, I am happy to say that the Sec+ has been a real part of returning the infosec specialty to healthy enrollment numbers and just making security education more accessible and available on campus.

 

[Jwehrle]

I'll start.

When I was hired for my current position, my primary task was to revitalize an information security subprogram within a larger undergraduate and graduate degree program (it's an IT degree in which students choose a specialty focus area, of which information security is one of many options). The degree program had a few years back wound down a graduate-level initiative teaching a Masters-level information security degree to Naval officers in conjunction with the US Navy. The number of students enrolled in the infosec specialty had declined since then and there just were not faculty available to teach infosec courses.

One of the things I noticed right away was that undergrad students enrolled in the infosec specialty were generally not taking any security courses until their Senior year. With that kind of lag time before starting their infosec coursework, I noticed that some students were coming in overprepared for the infosec courses, as they had received most of the course knowledge from internships, and others were coming in with absolutely no experience whatsoever. And yet others were somewhere in between. Which made it very difficult to create courses that could engage everyone at their individual level.

That's where CompTIA, and specifically the Security+, was a huge help. While we did not go with any official CompTIA solutions (for no reason other than I didn't have the time to examine them), just the fact that CompTIA makes available a standard curriculum through the Sec+ allowed me to integrate a Sec+ bootcamp course over our 2.5 week winter break term. It has allowed me to begin teaching fundamental infosec knowledge much earlier, for some students as early as their Freshman year, allows me to know I have a standard baseline of knowledge for all my infosec students when they enter their upper-level courses, has allowed me to drum up interest for the infosec specialty, and has provided an opportunity for students who don't want to do infosec careers but understand the value of security to gain that fundamental knowledge in a way that still fits with their schedules.

While I'm sure it wasn't CompTIA alone, I am happy to say that the Sec+ has been a real part of returning the infosec specialty to healthy enrollment numbers and just making security education more accessible and available on campus.

Excellent story and thanks for sharing Brian! It sounds like you really found some structure within the CompTIA certifications that allowed you to really bring everyone onto the same (or similar) page to really set your program up for long-term success (which is exactly our goal here as well!). Good luck on your program as you continue to grow and expand, and please don't hesitate to reach out and ask how maybe we can help you with evaluating our solutions and helping to determine if there is a fit to bring those into the mix to really help you get to that next level, thanks again!

 

[Rick Butler]

So, we've been running CompTIA classes for over a decade+ now and it was always a chore every time CompTIA would flip the versions of a cert, particularly to keep up with the CE program. We would have to go to through Cengage, Pearson, MGH, Sybex, all the usual suspects every time to find out which set of books would be a solid standard.

The thing is, and while all these publishers write their books well enough, you always have the question of whether what you're reading was *that* person's interpretations of the objectives. I've commented on this before - that it's always wise to read more than one source to really get a handle on studying for tests. I still hold to that.

However, what I like about CM is that I stand a better chance of covering all the objectives because it's all in house from CompTIA. Now I know that the SME's and developers have to maintain a distance from taking and teaching the material, so there's always that assumed gap in there - the one that everyone is trying to bridge in one form or another.

I think what I'd like to see in CM is a tighter integration between Learn, Labs, and Practice. So far, they still seem to be very different products. Something else that would help would be some kind of function that forwardly tells the learner, "this is where you're deficient". So far, it's still kinda passive. Students look at the percentages and are looking for that sense that if they are 82%, that they only need to "buff up these areas" to get to where they are "ready". Granted, you can't guarantee that for certain, but that's always been the challenge in cert test platforms.

Anyway, CertMaster has come a long way in the 4-5 years I've had to observe it. And I know it will continue to improve.

/r

 

[Jwehrle]

So, we've been running CompTIA classes for over a decade+ now and it was always a chore every time CompTIA would flip the versions of a cert, particularly to keep up with the CE program. We would have to go to through Cengage, Pearson, MGH, Sybex, all the usual suspects every time to find out which set of books would be a solid standard.

The thing is, and while all these publishers write their books well enough, you always have the question of whether what you're reading was *that* person's interpretations of the objectives. I've commented on this before - that it's always wise to read more than one source to really get a handle on studying for tests. I still hold to that.

However, what I like about CM is that I stand a better chance of covering all the objectives because it's all in house from CompTIA. Now I know that the SME's and developers have to maintain a distance from taking and teaching the material, so there's always that assumed gap in there - the one that everyone is trying to bridge in one form or another.

I think what I'd like to see in CM is a tighter integration between Learn, Labs, and Practice. So far, they still seem to be very different products. Something else that would help would be some kind of function that forwardly tells the learner, "this is where you're deficient". So far, it's still kinda passive. Students look at the percentages and are looking for that sense that if they are 82%, that they only need to "buff up these areas" to get to where they are "ready". Granted, you can't guarantee that for certain, but that's always been the challenge in cert test platforms.

Anyway, CertMaster has come a long way in the 4-5 years I've had to observe it. And I know it will continue to improve.

/r

Excellent stuff as always Rick! And you are right, great point about the alignment with the CompTIA Exams, and as many of you may (or may not) know, our Organizational level products come with Exam Objective mapping, so you can see exactly where within the course material that exam objectives are covered! Please reach out if you have any questions or would like any more insight on this. Also to you point Rick, you are 100% correct, the alignment is something we are definitely working towards. Our complete migration to SSO (on the organizational products) will be a HUGE step forward, and we have also just about completed the transition to CertMaster Learn + Labs Integrated products for all certifications as well

 

[Rick Butler]

Something else I wrote concerning CertMaster, which might be something to kick around - https://cin.comptia.org/threads/whats-happening-with-ctt.1146/post-8590

 

[Michael Schmitz]

Since i am not teaching on a College, i have a different view. But i do not use the Classroom / Student Progressview.
And think Certmaster is a good way. I like the PBQ.
What i would like to see in the Download Section, if there is an Updated Version of the Book / Slides, and an Error Guide.

 

[Edmond Fotso]

I have been teaching some CompTIA courses at Montgomery College - Maryland for 3 years now. I must say that so far I'm satisfied with my journey with CIN. Training materials and sessions provided by CIN have been very helpful in developing and maintaining my knowledge; and I believe that my students are the end receivers of all the knowledge gained through the CIN training sessions.

Yes, I have not achieved all my objectives yet, but I'm getting there. Even though I already hold the CISSP and CISM, I believe the CompTIA CASP+certification will provide great value to my expertise; therefore, my goal is the get the following CompTIA certifications in a near future: Cloud+, PenTest+, and CASP+.

Good job to the CIN team for creating this useful channel.

 

[Jwehrle]

Since i am not teaching on a College, i have a different view. But i do not use the Classroom / Student Progressview.
And think Certmaster is a good way. I like the PBQ.
What i would like to see in the Download Section, if there is an Updated Version of the Book / Slides, and an Error Guide.

Michael, thanks for joining in the convo! Depending on if you have either the Ebook or CertMaster Learn, that will dictate where you access your resources, and what type of resources you can access. If you have purchased the Ebook, you will be provided with some limited resources (powerpoint presentations, mapping course content, etc.). With CertMaster Learn, as it is designed to replace the Ebook as a full E-Learning solution, you will not have a downloadable "book" copy but rather the platform itself, along with many other resources that the Ebook will not include. Someone from our team is certainly happy to guide you through the differences, please don't hesitate to reach out! Below is a link to our direct submission form to get that process started (if needed)

CompTIA Learning Solutions Support Request

partners.comptia.org

 

[Jwehrle]

Hey everyone, excellent feedback and collaboration so far! Don't forget that EVERY response gets you an entry into our November giveaway, and we will be picking multiple winners to receive some cool CompTIA gear or free content! Please keep the ideas coming, we will be running this through the end of the month and will make an announcement on the winners on Friday December 2nd

 

[MaguireM]

I think the easy response to this would be my goal was to simply pass the exam and become certified!
What I found with CompTIA content, Labs, videos, PQBs, I not only achieved my goals of passing the certification, but I fully understood the content which allowed me to apply that knowledge to teaching others.

 

[Jon W]

I am trying to convince the university where I teach to integrate CompTIA materials. Having worked with CertMaster in another capacity, I can provide informed responses about what content is available from CompTIA. While I haven't been able to get the university fully on board, I think we have moved closer, and I am hopeful that final action will come by the end of this academic year.

Cheers!

 

[Jwehrle]

I am trying to convince the university where I teach to integrate CompTIA materials. Having worked with CertMaster in another capacity, I can provide informed responses about what content is available from CompTIA. While I haven't been able to get the university fully on board, I think we have moved closer, and I am hopeful that final action will come by the end of this academic year.

Cheers!

That is great to hear Jon! We are certainly here to assist or provide any materials for review/evaluation if needed, please don't hesitate to reach out!

 

[Jwehrle]

I think the easy response to this would be my goal was to simply pass the exam and become certified!
What I found with CompTIA content, Labs, videos, PQBs, I not only achieved my goals of passing the certification, but I fully understood the content which allowed me to apply that knowledge to teaching others.

That is amazing Maguire and very glad to hear that every piece of CompTIA content was able to give you that FULL comprehension of the content, and to get certified! Please don't hesitate to reach out for any questions moving forward

 

[Jwehrle]

Hey everyone, today is the last day to share your amazing thoughts and stories, please don't hesitate to share (either very simple or very detailed, or anywhere inbetween!). We will be drawing the winners for the FREE CompTIA content and/or CompTIA Swag on Friday December 2, thanks again!

 

[Jon W]

That is great to hear Jon! We are certainly here to assist or provide any materials for review/evaluation if needed, please don't hesitate to reach out!

If I need anything, I will certainly reach out and ask. Thank you!

 

[Jon W]

So, we've been running CompTIA classes for over a decade+ now and it was always a chore every time CompTIA would flip the versions of a cert, particularly to keep up with the CE program. We would have to go to through Cengage, Pearson, MGH, Sybex, all the usual suspects every time to find out which set of books would be a solid standard.

The thing is, and while all these publishers write their books well enough, you always have the question of whether what you're reading was *that* person's interpretations of the objectives. I've commented on this before - that it's always wise to read more than one source to really get a handle on studying for tests. I still hold to that.

However, what I like about CM is that I stand a better chance of covering all the objectives because it's all in house from CompTIA. Now I know that the SME's and developers have to maintain a distance from taking and teaching the material, so there's always that assumed gap in there - the one that everyone is trying to bridge in one form or another.

I think what I'd like to see in CM is a tighter integration between Learn, Labs, and Practice. So far, they still seem to be very different products. Something else that would help would be some kind of function that forwardly tells the learner, "this is where you're deficient". So far, it's still kinda passive. Students look at the percentages and are looking for that sense that if they are 82%, that they only need to "buff up these areas" to get to where they are "ready". Granted, you can't guarantee that for certain, but that's always been the challenge in cert test platforms.

Anyway, CertMaster has come a long way in the 4-5 years I've had to observe it. And I know it will continue to improve.

/r

Rick - I have learned so much from you. Thanks for everything!

 

[Rick Butler]

Rick - I have learned so much from you. Thanks for everything!

Thanks for that! I just try to give as was given to me. Pay it forward, mate.

/r