Introduction
As an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE), at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), we believe that each student should have the opportunity to learn good cyber security practices that will benefit them in their student, work, and social lives.
The goal of the EXCITE (EXploring the enhancement of Cyber security training through Immersive TEchnology) project was to explore the potential to increase the efficacy of cyber security training for third-level students through the use of immersive experiences supported by virtual reality design.
Guided by student views, input, and feedback, we have developed a suite of cyber security immersive experiences presented in virtual three-dimensional student-oriented scenarios e.g., student residence, university computer lab, coffee shop.
To deploy the EXCITE training at your university, follow the instructions and links provided below.
If you have any questions about the EXCITE project or training resources, contact Sandra Scott-Hayward
EXCITE Project Summary
EXCITE Phase 1 was led and supported by members of the QUB ACE-CSE team (Dr. Sandra Scott-Hayward (Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS)), Prof. Michelle Butler (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS)), and Dr. Carole Parsons (Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences (MHLS)) working with students from across the university and an external advisor company, Digital Catapult NI Immersive Labs. In this first phase, we explored the cyber security experience of a diverse, multi-disciplinary group of third-level students, their views on the suitability and effectiveness of cyber security training materials, and their perspectives on the potential use of immersive technologies in cyber security training.
Based on our findings in Phase 1, Phase 2 focused on the design and development of a suite of cyber security immersive experiences presented in virtual three-dimensional student-oriented scenarios e.g., student residence, university computer lab, coffee shop. The experiences cover the topics of Password Guidance, Phishing Awareness, Social Engineering, Your Digital Footprint, Social Media Use, Secure Remote Working, Protecting Your Data and Devices, and Incident Reporting. This phase was undertaken in partnership with Zubr Virtual Reality, an organisation experienced in immersive digital content creation for training/learning.
Access the EXCITE resources
Watch the EXCITE trailer video to find out what to expect in the immersive training.
Download the EXCITE VR Resources:
Full QUB VR apk (8 experiences)
Demo QUB VR apk (2 experiences – Your Digital Footprint and Social Engineering)
VR Installation Instructions
Download the EXCITE Web App Resources:
Set up instructions to host the EXCITE web application and completion database, customisation for your university, and user guide.
Generic University web app/database hosting files
Read the book chapter:
EXCITE: EXploring the enhancement of Cyber security training through Immersive TEchnology