September 16 – October 21

Agricultural University – Plovdiv (Bulgaria)

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Fundamental digital security skills for safe teaching, research, and administrative work in a university environment

Course format: Online
Type of program: E-Skill programme
Target group: Academic and Non-Academic Staff
Language: English
Cost: Free
Available places: 60
Teaching Hours: 30
ECTS: 3

Deadline for admission is 16 September 2026

Audience

The target audience includes:

Academic staff and lecturers
Researchers and project coordinators
PhD students involved in teaching
Administrative personne
IT and technical staff
International relations offices
Quality assurance and project management staff
Personnel using LMS and cloud platforms.

Pre-requisites

Basic digital literacy skills, including confident use of a computer, operating system (Windows, macOS or Linux), and common software applications (Word, Excel, PDF).
Basic experience in using the internet and email systems (e.g. Outlook, Gmail), including sending attachments, accessing links, and navigating online platforms.
Familiarity with institutional digital environments, such as learning management systems (e.g. Moodle), document management platforms, university information systems, or cloud services (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox).
Regular access to a computer and stable internet connection, enabling participation in online learning activities and completion of self-study tasks.
Willingness to apply good cybersecurity practices in daily professional activities related to handling institutional and personal data.
Basic proficiency in English language, sufficient to follow lectures, understand terminology in the field of cybersecurity, and complete course materials delivered in English.
No prior technical background in cybersecurity is required. The course is designed to provide practical knowledge and skills applicable to everyday professional tasks in a university environment.

Short Description

Cybersecurity has become an essential competency for every university employee. Academic institutions process sensitive personal information, valuable research data, intellectual property, financial records, and critical digital infrastructure, making them frequent targets of cyberattacks.

This course introduces participants to the fundamental principles of cybersecurity and develops practical competencies for recognizing cyber threats, protecting institutional data, and adopting secure digital practices. Special attention is given to cybersecurity challenges specific to higher education institutions, including research security, cloud services, online teaching environments, artificial intelligence tools, and compliance with GDPR.

The programme emphasizes practical awareness rather than technical administration, enabling participants to become active contributors to the university’s cybersecurity culture.

Content

Introduction to Cybersecurity in Higher Education
Common Cyber Threats in Higher Education
Email Security and Phishing Protection
Identity Protection, Passwords and Multi-Factor Authentication
Personal Data Protection (GDPR) and Information Classification
Secure Use of University Information Systems
Secure Documents, Cloud Services and Remote Work
Malware, Ransomware and Device Protection
Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity
Cyber Incident Response and Cyber Hygiene
Developing a Workplace Cybersecurity Improvement Project
Individual Project Presentations, Emerging Cybersecurity Challenges and Course Synthesis

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to:

Recognize common cyber threats in higher education
Securely use university information systems and cloud services
Protect institutional, research and personal data
Recognize phishing and social engineering attacks
Apply secure practices when using AI tools
Respond appropriately to cybersecurity incidents
Contribute to a cybersecurity-aware university culture.

Duration

Teaching hours: 30 hours

30 synchronous hours
21 asynchronous hours
24 hours independent self-study

All Student workload: 75 hours

5 hours of synchronous online sessions per week.
7,5 hours of guided self-study per week.

22 September 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)
24 September 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)
29 September 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)

1^st October 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)
6^th October 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)
8^th October 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)
13^th October 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)
15^th October 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)
20^th October 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)
22^nd October 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)
27^th October 2026: 17:00 – 19:15 or 18:00 – 20:15 (CEST)
29^th October 2026: 17:00 – 18:30 or 18:00 – 19:30 (CEST)

Assessment

To successfully complete the course, participants are expected to:

Attend at least 80% of the synchronous sessions.
Complete asynchronous learning activities.
Submit module assignments.
Prepare a Workplace Cybersecurity Improvement Project.
Deliver an 8–10 minute project presentation.

How to Apply

If you are interested in this course, register by clicking on the green bar (at the top and the botton of this page during the registration period).

You will then be taken to the Boost platform to fill in your personal details and complete your pre-registration.

You must use your institutional account from your home university to book this course, If you do not have one, you must request access credentials to this course Administrative Support team.

Once you have them, you will be able to log in to Boost and complete your registration.

Finally, Administrative Support will confirm your registration and provide you with the login details for the online course through which you will be able to take this course.

Administrative Support: [email protected]

More Info and Registration

Cybersecurity Introduction for Academic and Non-Academic Staff