Randy Hollifield

EC-Council Academia partnerships offer cost-effective, authorized learning resources for enrolled students to properly prepare them for EC-Council exams and ultimately their careers after graduation. Students will have the opportunity to achieve industry recognized certifications and compete in free cyber competitions as they complete their degree programs, achieving the ultimate stackable credential lineup to enhance their resume.

EC-Council certifications are endorsed by the US Department of Defense (DoD), allowing certified students proud representation on their resumes when applying for post-graduation careers. A certification is a verification of skill that can open many doors. A certification shows that you are competent, dedicated, and credible, invaluable attributes for any cybersecurity professional.

As an employee of the institution, I am responsible for to providing guidance and resources to assist in the development of course-level outcomes, objectives, structure, and design. Provide faculty with a recommended timeline in order to complete the course in a timely manner. Provide faculty with training opportunities associated with teaching online and developing quality online courses (Best Practices in Online Teaching). Assign faculty an instructional designer or mentor who will assist them in the process of developing or transforming existing course content into an online format to ensure the resulting course meets or exceeds Blue Ridges online course expectations; and evaluate the quality and accessibility of the resulting course using Blue Ridges online quality review standards and support the implementation of necessary improvements to meet such standards.

As a CIW Certified Instructor (CIW CI), I have an opportunity to work with a wide range of Internet technologies and to play an important role in providing outstanding Internet skills training for individuals across the world. As a CIW CI, I possess excellent instructional skills and I am certified technically by Certification Partners to deliver Internet job skills training to computer professionals. I am also eligible to work for any of the CIW Authorized Training Partners (CIW ATPs) or CIW Authorized Academic Partners (CIW AAPs) around the world.

This fall, McDowell Tech will initiate a new series of classes of cybersecurity in the Department of Continuing Education. Randy Hollifield, adjunct instructor in information system technology, will lead the class. The initial series of classes will cover basic concepts of cybersecurity. There are no pre-requisites for admission to the course. An intermediate level course will be offered later in the fall for which the beginner-level course will be a pre-requisite. Basic computer skills and terminology are required for both the beginner and intermediate classes. “Cybersecurity has been described as, ‘the body of technologies, processes and practices designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access.’ This course will provide a basic overview of the field with an introduction to cybersecurity policies and legal issues. Topics include, but are not limited to, cyberattacks, cyberterrorism, cyberwarfare, cyberespionage, identifying threats to cybersecurity by criminals, organized crime, hacktivists, nation-states and more. The course will also cover basic security principles used to defend against cyber threats. “We are excited to offer this opportunity to our community,” Penny Cross, doctor of education and vice president of learning and student services. “Cybersecurity is growing and a popular field in our technological and computer-driven world. All you have to do is watch the evening news to know that we, as a nation, are under constant threat from hackers and those who would compromise our bank and credit card information for personal gain. This limited series of classes will help students understand the scope of the problems we are facing and provide some basic, simple steps to avoid some of the problems associated with cyber threats.” If the courses are successful, the college will consider developing additional classes around the topic either in Continuing Education or as a structured curriculum program, Cross added. Registration for the introductory course will end on August 7 with classes beginning on the 11th. Classes will meet each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until September 15. The Continuing Education Department will continue to offer expanded class opportunities in information systems and networking throughout the coming year. Hollifield has already began to offer short-term, beginner and intermediate level courses in topics like Windows 10 and Microsoft Excel which will continue into the fall. Hollifield is a Cisco Certified Networking Associate and a CIW Certified Instructor. CIW is an industry-standard certification program for information technology professionals.