Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

In the fall of 2025 , I was presented with the exciting opportunity to teach CS 433/533: Web Security at Old Dominion University (ODU) . This course was designed and previously taught by Dr. Michael L. Nelson . Having experienced this class firsthand as a student, I was thrilled to transition into the role of an instructor, bringing my unique perspective to the curriculum. Through this blog, I aim to share my journey and insights from teaching this course, with the hope that my experiences will serve as a useful resource for fellow colleagues and those venturing into teaching for the first time.  The goal of this course was to review common web security vulnerabilities and exploits, along with the defenses designed to counter them. Students explored topics such as browser security models, web application vulnerabilities, and various attack and defense mechanisms including injection, denial-of-service , cross-site scripting , and more. Alongside theoretical knowledge, students also...

I’ve been meaning to write this for a couple years. Now seems an especially appropriate time for it. In particular, a hybrid course may be an option if staggered in-class attendance is something that will be implemented in the Fall. My first hybrid class began as an in-class "flipped" model.  So first, I'll talk about how I implemented the flipped mode and then I'll discuss how I handled the hybrid (in-class and online) aspects the following year. My definition of a "flipped" class (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flipped_classroom , http://flippedclass.com/whyteachersmattermoreinflippedclassroom/ , http://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/teaching/flipping-a-class ) is one in which students actually do the reading before the class meeting, and the class meeting time is spent discussing the material with students ( not lecturing) and doing in-class activities. There can be several benefits to this, including that class time is changed from content delivery to ac...