SHIELD project: Key learnings on blending AI, storytelling, and gaming for cybersecurity education

In North Macedonia, the SHIELD project – one of six KnowCyber grantees – has successfully concluded its work. What began as an experiment in blending AI, storytelling and game-based learning has now established a powerful new model for the future of cybersecurity education in local schools.

Led by Dig-Ed, the initiative introduced a practical and engaging way of teaching digital safety. Instead of traditional lectures, teachers and students learned through interactive stories, challenges, and games powered by AI tools, making complex cybersecurity concepts easier to understand and remember.

Within the project, Dig-Ed developed workshops, educational games, and training materials piloted in primary and secondary schools across the country. Forty teachers took part in the workshops, learning how to design gamified lessons that capture students’ attention and encourage critical thinking.

“Every session was designed to test and adapt,” explained Maja Videnovik, co-founder of Dig-Ed. “This ensured that students remained engaged while teachers received the guidance and support they needed.”

Following the workshops, teachers developed their own cybersecurity-themed games and classroom activities tailored to different age groups. The new materials were later shared as open educational resources, freely available for use by schools across the country. The first implementations took place during Safer Internet Day, reaching around 2,300 students. Notably, some 650 students took part in lessons led by teachers who had not attended the workshops but used the freely available SHIELD materials available on Dig-Ed’s website.

Results and impact 

To measure the effectiveness of the new methodology, students’ progress was tracked through in-game tasks and hands-on exercises, and their knowledge was tested before the workshops, immediately after, and again one month later. This three-stage assessment confirmed both immediate learning gains and long-term retention.

Feedback showed that SHIELD significantly improved student motivation, engagement, and understanding of cybersecurity. “We were happy to see growing interest in digital safety, better awareness of online privacy, and stronger understanding of risks such as cyberbullying, phishing, and weak password practices,” said Videnovik.

Teachers also reported greater confidence in integrating cybersecurity into their lessons. “Some who had never used AI tools before now apply them with ease, creating interactive lessons and sharing their methods with colleagues,” Videnovik added.

The data confirmed that AI-powered storytelling and gamified learning are highly effective in boosting engagement and long-term knowledge retention. Teachers demonstrated that, with proper mentorship and practical examples, they can quickly adopt new teaching methods and technologies. The open sharing of materials significantly multiplied the project’s impact, inspiring schools beyond the original pilot group to implement SHIELD’s approach.

Looking ahead

Videnovik explained that Dig-Ed plans to continue offering workshops, expand teacher networks and refine the methodology based on feedback from schools.

“We’ve created a model that’s flexible and adaptable to other subjects, audiences, and even industries where interactive learning can help simplify complex topics. The lessons we’ve learned in implementing SHIELD will be applied to future initiatives, in order to improve digital education practices in the country.”

Key learnings from the project

• AI-powered storytelling and gamified learning work. It makes students more engaged and helps them retain knowledge over time, especially on difficult and somewhat complex topics for kids.
• Teachers can adapt quickly when supported by mentorship and practical examples.
• Open sharing multiplies impact. By making materials publicly available, SHIELD has inspired other schools to join and apply the approach.