Byron Review Overlooks Existing Course | Virus

By TedHastings
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The report of the Byron Review, "Safer Children in a Digital World" has generally been well-received, and rightly so. It offers a balanced view which takes account of both the dangers and the benefits of children using the internet, and it makes a number of useful and practical suggestions which could be implemented to reduce the dangers.

However there is one glaring omission - the report does not mention that a certificated Internet Safety course has been available from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) since 2006 and is widely taught in Scottish schools and further afield. It is thought to be the only course of this type available from a national awarding body in the EU.

The course isn't restricted to schools - it's also offered to adults, including parents, teachers and youth workers via evening classes in further education colleges. It has been used for training police cadets by the Strathclyde Police Force and has been delivered to about 4000 pupils in Manchester schools. The course is supported by a complete online package of teaching and assessment materials and a purpose-written textbook entitled "Internet Safety Skills", published by Leckie and Leckie.

It is strange that the report fails to mention this course, particularly since various other examples of good practice are described, including an Irish project. The importance of improved education for both children and parents is emphasised throughout the report, yet it does not mention that a suitable course, complete with all the required materials, is already available.

There is nothing to stop every Education Authority in the UK from adopting this course immediately, instead of waiting, probably for several years, until alternative courses are developed. The potential is there to reduce the exposure of millions of children to online dangers and to increase their parents' knowledge of Internet hazards and how to avoid them.

The SQA course is interesting and engaging, while remaining highly practical. It provides information about the safety precautions which should be taken when using the Internet, and gives students practical experience in taking these. It is suitable for a variety of individuals, especially young people, parents and mature Internet users.

The first part of the course considers the threats that can exist when using the Internet, including malicious programs (eg: viruses, trojans, worms, adware, spyware and rogue diallers), hackers, spam, phishing, identity theft and emerging threats such as ransomware. It emphasises threats to user safety including grooming, inappropriate behaviour and cyberbullying, and notes that these threats can appear in a variety of contexts, eg: social networking sites, chat rooms, e-mail and instant messaging.

The second section covers safety precautions which should be taken including firewalls, anti-virus and e-mail filtering software and Internet security suites. Precautions for maintaining user safety include content filtering, proxy servers, monitoring and reporting user behaviour and withholding personal information.

The third part looks at the legal aspects of using the Internet, including copyright, data protection, digital rights management, software licensing schemes, such as freeware and shareware, legal constraints on the construction of websites, including disability discrimination legislation, and legislation relating to illegal content such as pornographic, terrorist and racist material. It also considers child protection legislation which prohibits grooming and inappropriate behaviour towards minors.

The last part focuses on giving students practical experience of taking relevant safety precautions. They are expected to install and configure anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, firewalls, spam filters and internet security suites and to show that they can take precautions for maintaining user safety, including content filtering, proxy servers, monitoring and reporting user behaviour and withholding personal information.

Many people may be satisfied simply to follow the content of the course, but if they wish they can also be assessed and, if successful, be awarded a certificate by SQA. The assessment consists of a short multiple choice test, taken online, and a log recording the practical task carried out during the course, which can be submitted in the form of a blog or an online portfolio.

About the Author

Ted Hastings has more than 35 years years of experience in IT and education. He writes a popular blog entitled Surf Safely. The Internet Safety course is available online from Millennium City Academy.

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