Introduction to Encryption and Cryptography
CO220 Online course
Discover the history of encryption and learn how it's used in the modern world
Skip to course bookingDiscover the history of encryption and learn how it's used in the modern world. On this course, you will learn about what encryption is and understand its use in the past by using the Caesar and Vigenère ciphers. You will also look at the present and future of encryption and investigate both symmetric and asymmetric encryption schemes. The course includes several practical encryption activities which you can complete and use in your own classroom. There are several optional steps involving using Python to implement some forms of encryption. We recommend that for these you are comfortable using functions with parameters.
Who is it for?
This course is for prospective teachers of Key Stage 3 computing and GCSE computer science, who may be new to the subject.
No prior experience or knowledge of computer science is expected before attending this course.
Topics covered
- Encryption and decryption
- Using ciphers to teach encryption
- Symmetric and asymmetric encryption
- How encrpytion is used in the modern world
How long is this course?
This is approximately 8 hours of self-directed learning.
How will you learn?
This online, self-paced course can be completed flexibly. You can join and start this course at any time after the advertised date, and keep access for a year after booking. You can learn independently or with colleagues to directly address your individual needs.
Outcomes
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Describe the general process of encryption and decryption
- Apply a Caesar Cipher and a Vigenère Cipher
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different encryption algorithms
- Compare symmetric and asymmetric encryption
- Demonstrate methods of breaking simple encryption schemes
- Describe how encryption is used in the modern world, and some of the possible ethical implications of this
This course is part of the KS3 and GCSE Computer Science subject knowledge certificate
Key stage 3 and GCSE Computer Science certificate
Our certificate is designed to help you develop or refresh your computer science subject knowledge.
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