“That’s Awesome!”–Cybersecurity and Its 10 Domains

Great Examples from Online Courses

What’s It About

Produced by Kennesaw State University’s Distance Learning Center,  “Cybersecurity and its 10 Domains” on-demand MOOC takes a look at cybersecurity in a world driven by computers and how different security features work to help protect individuals and companies.  Instructors Dr. Humayun and Mr. Andrew Green, have created a short MOOC that is well designed, informative, and visually appealing.

Why It’s Awesome

The videos in this course are creative, innovative, and extremely well done.  While the topic may not be intriguing to some, the videos produced for this MOOC draw you in and not only keep you engaged, but make you eager to continue  just so you can see the next awesome video.  While the first video in module 2 titled, “Introduction to Security” is probably one of the best video of the course, the others make use of animation, still pictures, graphs, and music that enhance the overall approach and appeal of each topic.

The animation in the video above shows the caveman beating down the words, and with every hit the words disappear from the screen.  While this may not provide insightful meaning, it is fun to watch and keeps people engaged and wanting to move forward to the next lesson. Having a course that appeals to the learners early on is important because some people will withdraw from the course if they don’t feel stimulated or find the presentation of material interesting.  I think this MOOC hits all the right buttons to help drive people to the next module.

Another notable video feature is the length.  The longest video is just under 4 minutes, which make the videos short, sweet and to the point. With the videos averaging 2 minutes in length, it seems as though this MOOC would be quick to get through, which is appealing if searching for something that isn’t time consuming.  Even if cybersecurity isn’t an interesting topic, it’s worth enrolling in this course to see their unique approach to using videos and technology to enhance the MOOC they have created.