Final Reflection

Final reflection


Your final reflection in this course should look back over the whole semester. Go back to your first blog post and write about how your initial impressions have or haven't changed. Think (and write) about:





What you have learned most from completing this course
I think that the thing I have learned most from completing this course would be that there are many risks for everyone who used the internet or computers and having the right security system is a crucial step in preventing sensitive information being stolen. I have learnt a lot more about information security, which as i recall was what I wanted to learn the most from my first blog post.



How what you've learned complements other areas of knowledge you have or hope to gain? As I am in my final year of university and upon completion of my degree I will be working in the corporate world I think the knowledge I have learned in relation to information security has been very beneficial. I believe when I start work next year in an Accounting Firm what I have learned and gained from this course will provide me with a good sense of how to protect not only my sensitive information but that of the firm I will be working for. I hope in the future I will be able to expand my knowledge of information security further as I find it very interesting.

What you consider to be the most important aspects of information security and why?I think the most important aspects of information security are minimising risk and ensuring that you have the best and most up to date anti-virus software to protect your private information. I think that just knowing there are many risks out there and how to avoid them is crucial to protect sensitive information, whether it be yours or that of the company you are working for.

What you haven't learned but had hoped to?

I would have liked to have learned more about fraud, in particular identity theft and measures to reduce the risk of having sensitive information stolen. I think that in today’s society and the way the world seems to be lately reducing the risk of your identity being stolen is a very important thing and I don’t think many people realise just how easy it is for someone to steel their identity.

How your perceptions of corporate information security have changed (if at all)?

I never knew that so many companies had security breaches.

What aspects of information security interested and/or bored you the most?

The aspects if information security that I am interested in are risk management and physical security. I am interested in these aspects because I like to think I take all the necessary precautions when it comes to my personal security in regards to using my computer. The aspect of information security that bored me the most was security and personel. I think this topic bored me the most because it was towards the end of the course where I had a lot of assignments for other units and I dont think I spent as much time as I should have understanding it.

What topics you found particularly easy or difficult to grasp?
I found the topics on legal, ethical and professional issues and implementing security the easiest topics to grasp. I think I found them easy to understand because I had previously covered parts to those topics in previous university units, also it seemed to be in a way common sense with the legal, ethical and professional issues topic. The topic I had the most trouble grasping was planning for security, I think I found this one harder to understand because there seemed to be a lot of content, new content, which i had trouble getting my head around. I think this was reflected in the result I got on my quiz, after getting many answers wrong I got so frustrated, I really like doing the quizzes and getting good marks so it annoyed me I didn't do that well with that topic.


How the course could have been facilitated better to assist your understanding and knowledge?
I think it would have been a good idea if we had done a mid semester test online, to provide general feedback as to how we are going with the unit. I have found with other online courses and with courses on campus that doing a test in the middle of the semester is a great way for us as students to gain an understanding of where we are at with the course and the areas we need to improve on.

I have really enjoyed this course, my favourite part of each weeks work was the quizzes, and I thoroughly enjoyed them :). I found that the quizzes assisted my learning, in the sense that I listened to the lecture as well as searching information about the topics to help me get the correct answer. I think it was good that we could go back over the quizzes and re-do them to get the best mark we could. I must admit the first times I took the quizzes I wrote down the answer for future reference when I re-did the quizes... it was not until I re-did the quiz that I realized the answers change, so for example, in one question the answer I got the first time was (a) but when I re-did the quiz the answer was (c), I soon learnt I should have written the answer, not just the letter. I have found the blog a very useful learning tool, especially with revision, as I can just go back over what I have done and re-enforce what I have already learnt. I thoroughly enjoyed this course, every aspect of it I liked doing. I am a bit nervous about the coming exam, but I know if I study and put the effort in I will do fine :)



Oh one more thing, I found this the other day and just thought it was interesting and related to information security.

“Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics” from the Computer Ethics Institute

1. Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
2. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
3. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
4. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
5. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
6. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
7. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
8. Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
9. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.
10. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.