This is an open (OER) introductory cryptography textbook designed for active / inquiry-based learning and released under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 (CC-BY-SA 4.0) license.
Read below for some unique ways that you can help support this project, like visiting the affiliates below, advertising with me, and investing in Bitcoin! There is also a GoFundMe page to support Open Applied Calculus.
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The initial development of this textbook was supported by a Small Grant from the Educational Advancement Foundation, via the Academy of Inquiry-Based Learning in the summer of 2015. This book was then used in the Spring 2016 semester for an introductory course in cryptography for upperclassmen majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science at Kutztown University in Kutztown, PA. The text was expanded and edited during the spring and summer of 2016.
I taught a First Year Seminar (FYS) course entitled "Secrecy and Information Security" in the Fall 2018 and Fall 2019 semesters and I editing this text to make it suitable for freshmen while maintaining its active learning character. One learns best by doing, so this course will be a hands-on course from start to finish. In addition to rigorous academic content, FYS courses will include modules on personal development such as time and financial management, career planning, and development of soft skills. Also, because of the high and rising cost of textbooks in higher education, my goal is for all course materials to be free and open. To this end, I am seeking additional funding to complete this textbook so that it is a standalone text suitable for a general education course in cryptography, as well as for advanced undergraduates. One major component that I plan to include is a chapter on cryptocurrencies and blockchain concepts. This is an opportunity for organizations operating within these fields to gain brand recognition among students nation-wide that will use this text.
Those wishing to support the development of this textbook will be acknowledged in the text. More importantly, your products and services will be highlighted in the text itself through examples, homework problems, projects, and other means. There will also be space available for advertising. The money that students save by taking a course utilizing OERs are more likely to invest their money with you simply by seeing your products and services advertised in their text.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are free and open educational materials for students and teachers designed to:
- eliminate the high costs of textbooks,
- reduce the overall financial burden on students in higher education,
- increase students' grades and learning in courses,
- reduce "DFW" (D grade, failure, and withdrawal) rates,
- provide greater and equal access to education, and
- provide the ability for teachers to adopt and adapt educational materials for their purposes.
- Make the text standalone. In other words, completely remove references to readings and exercises in the Washington text. (That is a great book, but this is to be a standalone text.)
- Expand introductory chapters for general education.
- Create a chapter on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
- Create both PDF and HTML versions of the book, like Rob Beezer's Linear Algebra text.
- Incorporate Sage cells and Sage code throughout the text. (Sage is a free computer algebra system built on top of Python and will allow for computations of cryptographic size.)
- Development of homework problems for the MAA's Open Problem Library for WeBWorK (http://webwork.maa.org/wiki/National_Problem_Library).
You can support this project in some unique ways that will be a win-win-win situation for you, students, and me. A portion will be redonated for local COVID-19 relief.
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Affiliate Partners
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Direct donations
- Go to the GoFundMe page for Open Applied Calculus to support the development of the textbook and ancillary materials.
- Bitcoin 1FE3XvPCKq3r2uLP2g4y4tpsJNw8Zn2Sc3
- Ether 0x740c44daCc510fF8770CF55782dDa38825926F97
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Please contact me if you would like any of the following in return for a donation to the project.
- Include advertisements on the cover or within the text, e.g. homework sections, separate page, etc.
- Include coupons for your products and services within the text.
- Include homework sets, examples, or projects that highlight your organization's products and/or services.
- Create brand recognition among college students. (Students will have more money to spend if their book is free.)
- Recruit talent among students who use this textbook.