Digital Literacy for Security Practitioners

APG Transfer Meeting

Tony Ratcliffe

January 16, 2013

Outline of Presentation

• Context and my role• Topic, purpose, and stakeholders• Conceptual framework• Research questions• Methodological setting• Methodology and study design• Ethical considerations• Pilot study• Timetable

Context

• Security Practitioners with management, advisory, consultant level responsibilities

• Security/risk management

• Global study

• Multi-national corporations

• Local, national, international issues

My Role/Knowledge

• Connected but not a Security Practitioner

• Member, ASIS International

• Member, Assoc of Certified Fraud Examiners

• Certified Fraud Examiner

• Operated security/investigation agency

• Past investigator in government

• Taught in security management programmes

• M.Ed in Distance Education (Athabasca, 2002)

Topic

• Digital literacy skills presented by security practitioners in personal learning environments

Purpose

• Develop a model that will connect the applicability of digital literacy skills to personal learning environments

• Increase opportunities for informal learning and professional development with use of online technologies

Stakeholders

• Security practitioners

• Governments

• Academics, educators, trainers

• Managers, executives, human resources

• Professional groups supporting security practitioners

Conceptual Framework

The Gap

Anatomy of a PLE by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 UnportedLicense. Based on a work at steve-wheeler.blogspot.com

Research Questions

Main question:

• How do security practitioners apply digital literacy skills to create and maintain an effective personal learning environment?

Sub questions:

• How do security practitioners demonstrate digital literacy skills?• What is the nature of the personal learning environments of

security practitioners?• What is the perception of personal learning environments and

digital literacy skills held by security practitioners?• What are the implications if security practitioners do not contribute

within online affinity spaces?

Methodological

Population

• Generic purposive sampling

• Security practitioners

• English speaking

• Related professionals – HR, managers

• Identify from pilot study, discussion groups, professional associations, other observations or referrals

Methodology

• Interpretive Description

• “description (with as much depth and richness as possible)”

• “interpretive (in the sense of an ongoing reflection about what these data might mean)”

Thorne, S. (2008). Interpretive description. Walnut Creek, CA, USA: Left Coast Press.

• “we might collectively be accused of an obsession about methodological integrity” (p. 172)

• “differs from eclectic approaches that ‘slur’ methods without regard for the coherence of their epistemological foundations.” (p. 172)

• “following certain general principles for analytic frameworks, sample selection, data sources, data analysis, and rigor” (p. 173)

• Thorne, T., Reimer Kirkham, S, & MacDonald-Emes, J. (2004).

• “Simply stated, interpretive description provides direction in the creation of an interpretive account that is generated on the basis of informed questioning, using techniques of reflective, critical examination, and which will ultimately guide and inform disciplinary thought in some manner.”

• Thorne, Reimer-Kirkham, & O’Flynn-Magee (2004, p. 6)

Data Collection Methods

• Online research methods

• Individual interviews, semi-structured (20-25)

• Focus groups (2, 6-8 participants)

• Observations (discussion groups, websites, workshops, webinars, industry publications)

Data Analysis

• Emphasis on themes rather than tight coding

• Avoid premature and complex coding

• “Immersion in the data prior to beginning coding, classifying, or creating linkages (Thorne et

al., 1997, p. 175)

• Assistance of data analysis software, NVivo

Ethical Considerations

• University Research Ethics Code of Practice

• Evolving legal and ethical issues in using online research methods

• Information Sheet and Informed Consent

• Informed Consent may require ongoing attention

• Mindful of my role as a researcher in online communities beyond posting for participants

Lessons from Pilot Study

• Much more consuming rather than sharing or peer production

• Lack of comfort with public spaces

• Prominence of email and telephone

• LinkedIn was primary online activity

• Digital literacy skills were not obvious beyond the basic

Timetable