Incorporating gamification elements and innovative approaches in training programs are promising for addressing cybersecurity knowledge gaps. Cybersecurity education should combine hard and soft skill development when building the capacity to manage cyber incidents requiring timely communication, team collaboration, and self-efficacy in risk assessment and incident mitigation. The paper presents a design and evaluation of the technology-enhanced cybersecurity education approach CAPE which works as a hybrid escape room. It combines a virtualized infrastructure simulating the business environment and the physical environment where game participants play the role of the incident response team at the organization’s premises. The CAPE could be applied as a student-centered approach in the educational environment. The work employed a multiple-methods research approach to design a gamified approach and investigate crisis communication, collaboration, self-regulation, and technical competences in incident management scenarios. The design science methodology empowered the game’s construction with an attack surface covering physical and digital security. The undergraduate students participated in the pilot execution and completed the psychological questionnaires. The results were analyzed using statistical methods. Results of the CAPE execution showed a positive impact on student performance and increased interest in cybersecurity. The designed approach promoted field-specific competence development. The results demonstrated the significance of psychological aspects related to incident management. Graphical abstract

Cybersecurity competencies are critical in the smart grid ecosystem, considering its growing complexity and expanding utilization. The smart grid environment integrates different sensors, control systems, and communication networks, thus augmenting the potential attack vectors for cyber criminals. Therefore, interdisciplinary competencies are required from smart grid cybersecurity specialists. In the meantime, there is a lack of competence models that define the required skills, considering smart grid job profiles and the technological landscape. This paper aims to investigate the skill gaps and trends in smart grid cybersecurity and propose an educational approach to mitigate these gaps. The educational approach aims to provide guidance for competence-driven cybersecurity education programs for the design, execution, and evaluation of smart grids.

Incorporating gamification elements and innovative approaches in training and educational programs are promising for addressing cybersecurity knowledge gaps. Cybersecurity training should consider a combination of hard and soft skills to deal with the diversity of cyber incidents. Therefore, this research aims to investigate if soft skills such as communication and collaboration enhances students’ performance in practical task execution and if the CyberEscape approach promotes students engagement and self-efficacy.This paper presents a cybersecurity game CyberEscape based on the intervention mapping methodology previously defined in the research. A virtualised infrastructure simulating the business environment works as a hybrid escape room. Physical resources and prepared information materials complement the game to support the scenario and ensure student engagement. The work employs a multiple-methods research approach. Participants filled out questionnaires in the pre-event and post-execution phases. Additionally, the participants were involved in small group semi-structured interviews. Results of the pilot study show a positive impact on student competence improvement and increased interest in cybersecurity.

Nowadays, IT projects are becoming more complex and larger in scale. Stakeholders often experience difficulties assessing project quality attributes, such as progress, budget. Specifically adapted project metrics based on their descriptive features are beneficial tools for acquiring important information. The paper discusses metrics as an important project quality assessment method. It proposes using GQM method for selecting the most appropriate Agile project quality metrics. For metrics monitoring it explores popular cloud-based project management systems. An illustration of the approach is provided by two case studies with Agile projects in the public sector.