Computer security: Perspectives and culture. A study of first year community college students and proposed responsible computing guide

The purpose of this study is to address the knowledge and attitudes of community college students regarding the specific issues of ethical and acceptable behavior utilizing institutional computing resources. These issues are specific to computer security as an integral component of community college culture. Specifically, acceptable behavior and decision making, password protocol, knowledge of policy/law, use of facilities, intellectual property and copyright, and privacy are the computer security categories under focus in this research. An ethnographic analysis is presented to provide insight into the culture of the computing community at the participating community college.; Using survey research, the general behavioral and decision-making abilities of first-year community college students on specific computer security topics were examined. An array of descriptive statistics including number and frequency in percent is presented related to the general computer security knowledge and attitudes of the research site, Polk Community College, Lakeland, Florida.; The study was limited to only first-year Polk Community College students enrolled in computer-related courses. A sample size of 630 participants was observed. The ethnographic composition as well as security knowledge and attitudes are reflected in tabular form categorized by cultural-graphic indicators, acceptable behavior and decision making, password protocol, policy and law, use of facilities, intellectual property and copyright, and privacy issues.; A proposed responsible computing guide for students is presented in the recommendation chapter. This proposed model is specific to the research site, but contains generalized findings that can be applicable to many community college settings. The proposed guide is presented as an instructional supplement that can be implemented as a component of a new student orientation program.