Professional Development Opportunity for High School Educators
The National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition (NCTC) is offering an opportunity for high school teachers to learn about the Foundations of Cybersecurity. This is a 3-credit hour graduate course to prepare teachers to learn the foundations of cybersecurity based on the ACM CSEC Curriculum Guidelines. It is an asynchronous online course designed for educators. The course contains exercises, videos, lectures, quizzes, and end-of-module exams.
The course consists of 5 modules:
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Trustworthy Cyberspace
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Principles, Methods, and Tools for Trustworthy Systems
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Vulnerabilities, Exploits and Attacks
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Defending Data in the Digital Age
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Cybersecurity in Context
Network Architecture is an optional module for teachers needing a review of network services, ports, and protocols.
Credit
Participants may earn up to 45 professional development clock hours upon successful completion of all modules, including quizzes and tests. Acceptance of these hours is determined by individual state or district policies; it is the participant’s responsibility to verify eligibility for credit.
Graduate credit is only awarded to participants who both successfully complete the course and enroll in the Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity through the National Cybersecurity Teaching Academy (NCTA) at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock or Dakota State University.
Key Information
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Current Sessions Available: Spring/Summer 2026 (January 8 - August 31)
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Register here: https://teachcyber.org/foundations-of-cybersecurity-registration/
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The enrollment fee is $350 and $100 will be refunded upon successful completion of the course.
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PD Credit: Up to 45 hours
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Graduate Credit: 3 credits available through UA Little Rock or UMGC if you complete the course and enroll in the NCTA graduate certificate
How to Register:
https://teachcyber.org/foundations-of-cybersecurity-registration/
More Course Info:
https://teachcyber.org/professional-development/
Download the Curriculum Guide:
National Cybersecurity Teaching Coalition
Leading Institution: University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Program
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock, a leader in cybersecurity education and a CAE-D since 2008 is one of the lead institutions of the NCTA. In addition to the NCTA graduate certificate, UA Little Rock offers a BS in Cybersecurity, as well as an Advanced Cybersecurity Technical Certificate and a Cybersecurity Fundamentals Certificate of Proficiency.
Recent Milestones
Recent milestones reflect the continued growth and impact of the NCTA teacher community, with over 300 graduates and current students.
We maintain an active professional learning network that includes monthly webinars for participating educators, an active Slack workspace for ongoing collaboration, and a LinkedIn group that connects teachers across cohorts and institutions. These platforms allow teachers to share instructional strategies, curriculum resources, and classroom experiences while remaining connected to the broader NCTA network.
We are also developing a dedicated resource website that will house curriculum materials, lesson plans, teaching guides, and recorded professional development sessions. The goal is to provide NCTA educators with an easily accessible repository of classroom-ready materials and ongoing support resources. This site is currently in development and should be available soon.
In Arkansas, we successfully piloted the first concurrent cybersecurity courses during the Fall and Spring terms. The curriculum developed through this effort is now available for NCTA graduates who wish to teach the course at their high schools, creating a new pathway for students to earn early college credit in cybersecurity while still in high school. This pilot represents an important step in expanding the NCTA model into the K–12 concurrent credit space.
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Program
Welcome to the newest CAE Institution Offering the NCTA Program ~ Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). WPI, a CAE-R since 2013, is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. With an extensive Cybersecurity Program we are excited to have them as an NCTA Partner!
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