Emerging Innovations and Global Challenges on Curriculum Design: Case Study of Teaching Security in Embedded System Design

Mohammed Ferdjallah; Asad Salem

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Conference: 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference
Location: Morgantown, West Virginia
Publication Date: March 24, 2023
Start Date: March 24, 2023
End Date: March 25, 2023
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44901
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/44901
Download Count: 125

Paper Authors

biography

Mohammed Ferdjallah Marshall University

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Dr. Mohammed Ferdjallah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Electrical Engineering at Marshall University. Dr. Mohammed Ferdjallah received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer and MS degree in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas Austin. He also received his MD degree from the International University of the Health Sciences. He has a multidisciplinary expertise in image & signal processing, computational modeling, and statistical data analysis. As an electrical and biomedical engineering scientist, he conducted research in computer modeling of the brain, cranial electrical stimulation (CES), electrical impedance tomography, electrode design, and EMG and muscle action potentials and ions channels simulation & modeling. His technical research interests include digital systems, embedded, systems, computer architecture, adaptive and system identification, modeling and simulation, and signal and image processing. His clinical research interests include impacts of chronic diseases in elderly (such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and diabetes), innovative technology for drug addiction treatment and prevention, medical records, comparative outcomes research, and biomedical sciences. He has successfully published several peer-reviewed articles in biomedical sciences, physical medicine and rehabilitation, modeling and simulation of physiological signals, motion analysis, and engineering.

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Asad Salem

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Abstract

Emerging innovations and global challenges are not only overwhelming human health and the environment but also complicating the training of the next generations of the workforce that will shape the future of the global economy. In particular, a topic of immediate concern is the security of embedded systems. Embedded systems are ubiquitous and are found in medical devices, nuclear plants, and chemical processing systems to name a few applications. The ever-increasing complexity of modern embedded systems has raised the potential for security breaches that may compromise the integrity and functions of these products. Although embedded systems design has been a core curriculum in most electrical and computer engineering programs, incorporating security-training skills at the undergraduate level remains challenging. Despite the enormity of security challenges, they are often ignored during the initial design and development period of an embedded system, thus leaving many devices vulnerable. We postulate that this design shortcoming is perhaps due, in part, to the teaching inadequacy of embedded security in early engineering education.

In this paper we propose a framework to design an undergraduate curriculum that will incorporate security concepts in embedded systems courses. The curriculum will create new learning materials and teaching strategies that will focus on security concepts in early phases of embedded systems design. Because it is almost impossible to add security to an existing embedded system, the significance of this paper is to enforce life-learning awareness of security concerns in embedded systems design in early training of undergraduate students. The undergraduate curriculum will integrate security concerns, challenges, and concepts in all aspects of embedded systems design. We propose new learning materials and teaching strategies that will focus on securing the hardware and software programming of the central processing unit and its peripherals at the low-level layer allowing the upper-level layer to implement security standards with a greater efficiency. We will also provide advanced concepts that mitigate security breaches either by low-level encryption solutions or dead-end program destruction. The long-term goal of this paper is to promote security awareness in embedded systems at the undergraduate level.

Citation
Format

Ferdjallah, M., & Salem, A. (2023, March), Emerging Innovations and Global Challenges on Curriculum Design: Case Study of Teaching Security in Embedded System Design Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44901

TY - CPAPER
AB - Emerging innovations and global challenges are not only overwhelming human health and the environment but also complicating the training of the next generations of the workforce that will shape the future of the global economy. In particular, a topic of immediate concern is the security of embedded systems. Embedded systems are ubiquitous and are found in medical devices, nuclear plants, and chemical processing systems to name a few applications. The ever-increasing complexity of modern embedded systems has raised the potential for security breaches that may compromise the integrity and functions of these products. Although embedded systems design has been a core curriculum in most electrical and computer engineering programs, incorporating security-training skills at the undergraduate level remains challenging. Despite the enormity of security challenges, they are often ignored during the initial design and development period of an embedded system, thus leaving many devices vulnerable. We postulate that this design shortcoming is perhaps due, in part, to the teaching inadequacy of embedded security in early engineering education.

In this paper we propose a framework to design an undergraduate curriculum that will incorporate security concepts in embedded systems courses. The curriculum will create new learning materials and teaching strategies that will focus on security concepts in early phases of embedded systems design. Because it is almost impossible to add security to an existing embedded system, the significance of this paper is to enforce life-learning awareness of security concerns in embedded systems design in early training of undergraduate students. The undergraduate curriculum will integrate security concerns, challenges, and concepts in all aspects of embedded systems design. We propose new learning materials and teaching strategies that will focus on securing the hardware and software programming of the central processing unit and its peripherals at the low-level layer allowing the upper-level layer to implement security standards with a greater efficiency. We will also provide advanced concepts that mitigate security breaches either by low-level encryption solutions or dead-end program destruction. The long-term goal of this paper is to promote security awareness in embedded systems at the undergraduate level.

AU - Mohammed Ferdjallah
AU - Asad Salem
CY - Morgantown, West Virginia
DA - 2023/03/24
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Emerging Innovations and Global Challenges on Curriculum Design: Case Study of Teaching Security in Embedded System Design
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/44901
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44901
ER -