KnowCyber grantee update: SHIELD latest activities

One out of six KnowCyber grantees, the SHIELD project in North Macedonia, has finished a number of activities related with their project. Here’s an overview of their latest activities and plans for next months.  

The article is written by Maja Ivanova,  co-founder of the NGO Centre for Innovations and Digital Education Dig-Ed 

Dig-Ed in North Macedonia has initiated an innovative program to create a workshop-based training methodology for primary and secondary schools, integrating digital storytelling, AI tools, and game-based learning to make cybersecurity education dynamic and engaging.  

Highlights from the first half of 2025  

In late 2024, Dig-Ed developed supporting resources and issued an open call for teachers to participate in workshops. The response was overwhelming, with over 200 teachers expressing interest.  

On 1 February, approximately 40 teachers participated in a workshop, actively engaging with the gamified methodology and collaborating on developing educational game elements.  

This workshop resulted in the creation of 14 gamified open educational resources tailored for various school levels, which have already begun being implemented in classrooms and receiving positive feedback.    

At the beginning of May, Dig-Ed launched a call for development and implementation of game-based activities on the topic of cybersecurity applying the SHIELD methodology.  

To encourage broader participation, Dig-Ed organized a webinar on 14 May, presenting the elements of the SHIELD methodology, and demonstrating how to design game-based activities using artificial intelligence.  

The session also guided teachers through the submission process, which required a detailed description of the game, the prompts and tools used, a link to the game, and teacher reflections. Around 100 teachers expressed their interest in creating gamified experiences combining digital storytelling, AI tools, game elements, and learning through play. 

Following the design of educational resources and implementation in classrooms, teachers submitted their educational resources. In total 16 created and implemented gamified experiences were selected as good practices and are shared as open educational resources on Dig-Ed’s website.  

Eight most successful educational resources were presented at the Capstone event on 22 August. During the event projects’ activities, outputs and results were presented.  

The event featured inspiring classroom stories, including student testimonials on how gamified lessons helped them identify and respond to online threats in daily life. Teachers shared their experiences of professional development, highlighting the potential of AI and gamification as powerful tools for contemporary education. Read more about the event at https://dig-ed.org/shield-project-capstone-event/. 

From 26 to 29 May, two Dig-Ed representatives joined the KnowCyber project study visit to Tallinn, Estonia, together with other CSO representatives from the Western Balkans. The program included visits to the Estonian Information System Authority and the e-Estonia Briefing Centre, participation in a seminar on the role of CSOs in online safety, and attendance at the e-Governance Conference “From Bytes to Benefits: Raising Prosperity through Digital Transformation”. As part of the conference, participants joined a workshop on strengthening CSOs’ impact in cybersecurity. Additionally, Vladimir Trajkovik contributed to the session “Strengthening Digital Security: The Role of Civil Society Organizations in the Safe Use of Digital Space”. More about this can be found on the website. 

During May and June, Dig-Ed analyzed all classroom implementation results using surveys, pre-tests, post-tests, and delayed tests conducted one month after delivery. The findings revealed a significant increase in students’ cybersecurity knowledge, with the highest retention measured one month later, confirming the approach’s potential for fostering deep and long-lasting learning. 

As part of the dissemination activities, the project outcomes and impact were shared at the 4th EAI Conference on Computer Science and Education in Computer Science, taking place from 1 July to 3 July, 2025, in Bratislava, Slovakia.  

Vladimir Trajkovik as a keynote speaker under the title “AI-Powered Storytelling and Game-Based Learning: A Framework for Digital Competence in ICT Education”, presented a SHIELD framework that combines AI-driven storytelling with game-based learning to enhance students’ digital competences and initial results from the implemented framework in four schools in North Macedonia (two primary and two secondary schools) with 224 students. Read more about the activity HERE.  

Highlights from September onward  

On 12  September, Maja Videnovik spoke at the fourth EASE Summit. She presented the SHIELD project in her session “Empowering Cybersecurity Learning Through AI, Storytelling, and Game-Based Pedagogy”, sharing insights into the project’s methodology, implementation, outcomes, and impact. 

On 18 September, presentation about the project and created methodology was also given during keynote speech of Vladimir Trajkovik at 11th International Workshop and Conference on Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems. These activities aim to support the sustainability of the project’s outcomes beyond its official completion. 

Upcoming activities  

The SHIELD methodology will also be featured as a keynote presentation at the 6th International Education Across Borders Conference, “Reimagining Education in the Modern Age” (REMA 2025), taking place from 3 to 4 October in Bitola, North Macedonia. The keynote titled “From AI to Gamification: Transforming Education for the Digital Generation” will explore how innovative approaches can reshape learning. For more information, visit eab2025.pdf In addition to the keynote, Dig-Ed will also host an interactive workshop “AI-Powered Gamification: Engaging Students Through Smart Learning Experiences”. 

The paper “Empowering Educators with AI-Enhanced Media Literacy and Cybersecurity Education: A Methodology that utilizes Participatory Action Research Approach” based on the results from SHIELD project will be presented at 17th International conference ICT Innovations, which takes place from 11 to 13 October in Ohrid, North Macedonia.   

A journal article “EduGame-AI: An AI-Driven Gamification Framework for Blended Learning in Primary Education” has been submitted in International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (https://link.springer.com/journal/40593 IF 8.5). The article examines student attitudes toward the approach and the cybersecurity knowledge gained, based on data from the SHIELD school implementations. If accepted, Dig-Ed will cover the publication cost of €2590.00 for open access. 

Additionally, as part of the project’s dissemination efforts, Dig-Ed produced flyers summarizing the project’s aims, activities, outputs, and results, alongside testimonials from participants. We have provided several variations of the flyers, suitable for online publishing and for printing, as well as in English and in Macedonian language. You can find them HERE. They were distributed during the Capstone event, and we will share them online and on different project dissemination events to further amplify the project’s reach and impact.  

SHIELD is proving the value of AI-enhanced gamification in making cybersecurity education engaging, effective and sustainable, while also positioning Dig-Ed as a leading voice in digital education innovation across the region.  

Find out more about the project HERE.