Pilot training provided valuable insights for CybARverse courses improvement
From April to June 2024 an important milestone for the CybARverse project has been reached! The project partners implemented the pilot testing activities in Lithuania, Malta, Cyprus and Romania. The goal of pilot testing was to test with learners the developed 17 cybersecurity scenarios and their interactive elements of virtual reality and augmented reality.
Depending on their knowledge level participants could choose to study in some or all of the available courses which is distributed between the following levels:
– Beginner: the level covers essential cybersecurity topics for beginners, including an introduction to malware, social engineering, grooming, social media threats, phishing, and Internet of Things (IoT) attacks.
– Intermediate: this course level delves into advanced cybersecurity threats, including ransomware, rootkits, pharming, cryptojacking, cross-site scripting, and SQL injection.
– Advanced: the course level focuses on complex cybersecurity threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks, Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities, zero-day exploits, and both DoS and DDoS attacks.
During the pilot training period, over 50 participants from the 4 partner countries tested the developed materials and gained more knowledge on cybersecurity topics. The training material includes a theoretical section, a proposed lesson plan, informative short videos and the use of the CybARverse VR/AR immersive experience. The participating trainers and trainers not only studied the developed materials, but also provided valuable feedback for the further improvement of the course.
The evaluation of the course revealed positive feedback from the participants. The pilot testing of the cybersecurity course utilizing immersive technologies received a comprehensive evaluation from participants, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. The feedback reveals that the course was well-received overall, with many participants praising its usefulness and the way it effectively enhanced their knowledge of cybersecurity. Beginner and intermediate levels were particularly appreciated for their appropriateness and clear, essential content, while some participants found the advanced level too easy, indicating a need for more challenging material at higher levels.
The pilot training feedback was comprehensively discussed by partners during LTTA2 in Cyprus. The next project phase continues with making necessary amendments to the course content and course translation to partner languages.
In autumn the course will be introduced publicly in partner countries and on European level.
