Junior Cycle Short Course
Cyber Resilience Education in Primary and Post-Primary Schools
Welcome to cyberwise.ie. Here you will find information and resources on the Junior Cycle Cyber Security Short Course.
Sample Units of Learning
Browse a selection of interactive sample lesson ideas, resources and assessments.
Specification/Important Documents
Learn more about the specification for the Cyber Security Short Course.
Background and Working Group
Learn about the background, working group, and implementation of Junior Cycle Cyber Security Short Course.
About the course
The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), is the lead Government Department for cyber security in the State. The Department oversees the implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy 2019-2024. A key theme of the Strategy is about developing the capacity of the State, research institutions, businesses, the public sector and of the people to both better understand and manage the nature of the challenges we face in this space. ln particular, measures 12 and 13 of the Strategy include actions on developing cyber security education and promoting female participation in cybersecurity.
Funded by the DECC, a team of teacher educators and researchers from the School of Education and School of Computer Science in UCD are working in collaboration with a steering group comprising members of the National Centre for Cyber Security (NCSC), the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI), the NCCA and Cyber Ireland to design and implement a Junior Cycle short course on cyber security. The first phase of this project is to road test elements of the draft specification with a purposive sample of post-primary schools in Ireland.
Shared Learning Days
The Cyberwise Shared Learning Day was a comprehensive educational event focused on the intersection of cybersecurity and Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Held in April 2024, the day featured a variety of engaging activities, including a Zero
Days Capture the Flag challenge, where participants tackled real-world cyber and GCE issues.
The Challenge-Based Learning Day, held in October 2023, immersed students in the critical societal issue of cybersecurity and its connection to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This event aimed to deepen student’s; understanding of cybersecurity’s impact on various aspects of life and its essential role in achieving sustainable development.
The Adventures in Cyberland Awards are funded by Our Public Service Innovation Fund as part of the Cyber Resilience Education in Primary and Post-Primary Schools initiative led by UCD School of Education. The competition was organised as part of EU cybersecurity month.
Teachers
Browse a selection of interactive sample lesson ideas, resources and assessments.
What is social engineering?
CNN tech reporter Donie O’Sullivan thought he was being safe on social media. Watch social engineer & SocialProof Security CEO Rachel Tobac prove him very, very wrong.
How do companies collect and use data about you legally without your consent?
In this lesson, Ann O’Brien raises a number of important questions about our personal data.
Keeping Data Safe
In this six lesson series, students will learn about the importance of keeping their data private. “If the product is free you are the product”.
