Engaging GDPR Education Intervention for students

DataShelter aims to decomplicate GDPR and make it more approachable to students, through the development of a digital educational intervention on GDPR practices, that uses engaging and innovative ...

DataShelter aims to decomplicate GDPR and make it more approachable to students, through the development of a digital educational intervention on GDPR practices, that uses engaging and innovative methods of teaching such as serious games, simulations and infographics. On a practical level, the students' employability will be enhanced, as for employers nowadays it is a major attribute to have people that are familiar and can work on the organisation's processes with GDPR in mind. Having a stable foundation, young employees can then go on to deepen their knowledge and apply it in different situations that may arise in the workplace. In addition, DataShelter will equip students with the capacity to understand the implications of GDPR on their own data as customers, users, students or employees, making them aware of their rights and choices in digital spaces, enhancing their digital readiness and resilience as citizens. DataShelter strives to include young people with challenging backgrounds and fewer opportunities as participants, to offer them access to this training and ways to improve their employability and digital skills.

The following activities were implemented: 1. Surveys on GDPR and User Requirements Design: Surveys were conducted at GEL PTOLEMAIDAS to examine the level of knowledge and awareness the students possess about GDPR. Questionnaires were developed and disseminated to the students and a needs analysis was conducted, utilising the results from the surveys. The user and technical requirements for the DataShelter syllabus and activities were designed, taking into account the needs of the students in secondary education. 2. Syllabus for the intervention: A GDPR training syllabus was designed, guided by the user requirements, to increase digital skills, employability and awareness related to GDPR in youth. The syllabus includes the material and information, delivery methods, and concepts designs for the serious games of the intervention. 3. Serious games and simulation components: The development of simulations of different scenarios where GDPR has to be applied, to simplify real life situations for the students as subjects and future employees. A web platform was developed to host the material and serious games. 4. Launch and user-based evaluation: Launch to participants online and at GEL Ptolemaida school, and collection of feedback.

The main result of the project is the DataShelter digital intervention, which was launched as a web application on DataShelter's website (https://data-shelter.eu/games.html), and all the material and components that were produced during the development of the syllabus and intervention. As DataShelter was launched online as a web platform, it is therefore accessible from any device that can be connected to the internet, and is available in English and Greek. The intervention offers material and simulated scenarios in the form of text, infographics and serious games to educate students about good GDPR practices. The students firstly learn about GDPR through the text and infographics, and can then apply their knowledge in the provided activities. Specifically through the serious games they can interact with different scenarios as the main character, and see the consequences of making different decisions in challenging situations involving the GDPR. All the content available in the DataShelter intervention was developed and translated during the project's lifetime.