Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center

Active Students

This page details information that will help all students, including minors and graduate program students, in cybersecurity programs.

Each student is responsible for making sure that they can access all necessary resources for completing the program. This includes accessing e-Campus for course registration, accessing URI email where all communications will be sent, and accessing the course platform for course materials.

In addition to the general information on this page, make sure to use the links below for specific information about your program.

 

URI Email Address

All communication is conducted with your URI Email address. If emails are sent from professors, they are sent to your URI Email address. It is extremely important check your University email frequently. We will only communicate with you at your URI Email. You will receive important notices from the Graduate School about deadlines, emails from professors, your advisor, and course announcements at this email address.

To access your URI email and instructions on how to log in, please visit the following website: https://web.uri.edu/its/.

Teaching Platform – Brightspace

All courses are taught with the learning management system Brightspace. To access the course website, sing in at https://brightspace.uri.edu.

Once you’ve logged in, the courses you have registered for will appear and you can click the tiles to access the course material. The course tab and material will not be present or available for access until the start of the semester. It is suggested you make sure you can log into Brightspace, you will not see the course until the start of the semester.

Taking courses completely online can be a new experience for some students. The University of Rhode Island has created several resources to help students be successful including tips on time management, communicating your needs effectively, and managing to-do lists. https://web.uri.edu/teachonline/learningonline.

Computer Requirements

In order to complete the program, all students must have access to a computer that meets the following criteria:

  • A 64-bit Windows 10 or higher physical machine (a virtual machine will not be sufficient for some courses) Note: A “boot camped” Mac is acceptable, however simply running Windows in a virtual machine is not acceptable.
  • At least 100 GB of free hard drive space
  • At least 6GB of RAM, 8GB or more is strongly recommended
  • An optical DVD drive, USB external is acceptable
  • High speed Internet connection for downloading and/or streaming. Downloading on a remote computer (e.g. a public library) and bringing files home on a USB drive or CD is sufficient, although not ideal.
  • Sound card and speakers or headphones for listening to video lectures.

The materials and software provided do not support Macintosh computers or Netbooks for most courses, especially in the Digital Forensics courses. If this is your only option, you must set up a Microsoft Windows partition on your computer using Boot Camp. Using parallels or fusion to create a virtual machine is not sufficient, as many of the procedures and software necessary for these courses will not run properly in a virtual environment. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that their computer is functioning properly, meets the criteria stated, and is configured properly. If students do not follow these guidelines, it is not guaranteed that Instructors or TAs will be able to assist if a student is having trouble with an assignment. Students will be provided access to the Microsoft Imagine store to download Windows 10.