Digital Security: From Campus to Community

Lead and Host Institution: Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Germany) — Prof. Dr. Thomas Hutzelmann (principal teacher), Prof. Dr. Katherine Roegner (principal teacher), Virginia Schellenberg

Partner Institution: Goce Delcev University (North Macedonia) — Prof. Dr. Aleksandra Mileva

External stakeholders: City of Ingolstadt

Digital security is no longer a technical issue reserved for experts — it is a fundamental competence for everyday life. From password protection and online banking to phishing scams and data privacy, individuals across generations face increasing digital risks.

This course explores digital safety and cybersecurity from both a technical and social perspective. Students work in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams to understand how digital threats operate and how prevention strategies can be communicated effectively to vulnerable groups, particularly senior citizens.

By combining cybersecurity fundamentals with user experience design (UXD), participants will develop brochures, flyers, and posters aimed at raising awareness in their local communities. The course bridges technical knowledge, communication skills, and social responsibility.

On-site phase (Ingolstadt, 30 November – 4 December 2026): Interactive impulse lectures on cybersecurity fundamentals. Workshops on hacking mechanisms, authentication, cryptography, phishing, and digital scams. Practical sessions on protecting devices and online identities. Parallel design workshops focused on user-friendly communication and layout (UXD principles). Stakeholder interaction and final presentation of developed materials. Students will work in intercultural teams throughout the week, progressively developing communication materials tailored to senior citizens and local communities.

Follow-up / Reflection: Students will revise and adapt their materials in their own language, collaborate with peers from their home institutions, and disseminate the materials within their local communities.

• Explaining how hackers and malware pose a threat.
• Recognising scams in the digital world.
• Understanding how passwords work and how to make them strong.
• Understanding how to protect devices.
• Using measures to increase safety on the internet.
• User experience design principles for designing brochures, flyers, and posters.
• Communicating in a clear and concise manner.
• Developing empathy for senior citizens.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain key digital security concepts and describe how they apply to everyday digital life.
• Identify common online threats and demonstrate prevention strategies.
• Apply best practices for securing digital devices and online accounts.
• Implement measures to protect sensitive data and manage privacy settings.

This course may be suitable for students from ACE²-EU partner universities enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in all fields (no prerequisites).

This course may be suitable for those who have an interest in: improving their digital safety and security skills, understanding how cryptography works.

Recommended Language Level: Basic to intermediate level of English (B1-B2), as the working language will be English.