Abstract:

Cybersecurity has become a foundational competence for future engineers as digital systems increasingly mediate critical infrastructures, homes, industry, and personal services. Despite the growing demand for cybersecurity skills, introductory training often remains highly theoretical and disconnected from realistic technological contexts. This work presents a pedagogical framework based on a Cybersecurity Laboratory designed to bridge this gap by enabling hands-on learning for undergraduate computer engineering students. The laboratory provides a structured environment that integrates simulated infrastructures, vulnerability assessment platforms, guided exercises, and collaborative challenges. A central learning asset within this ecosystem is a Smart Home case study, which represents a controlled yet realistic environment where students explore network architecture, device exposure, security monitoring, and incident response.

The proposed laboratory is embedded within a student-led Cybersecurity Club, fostering peer learning, mentoring, and continuous experimentation beyond formal coursework. This structure supports progressive training through technical workshops, gamified competitions such as “hack and win” activities, and dissemination events aimed at increasing student engagement and visibility of cybersecurity topics. In addition to internal activities, the laboratory and club framework have enabled outreach initiatives, including guided demonstrations and visits from secondary school students, as well as participation in public science fairs such as the Porzuna Science Fair, where schools and high schools were actively involved. These activities contributed to raising awareness of cybersecurity concepts at earlier educational stages while reinforcing undergraduate students’ communication and technical skills.

Within the laboratory environment, the Smart Home scenario functions as a capstone learning component that consolidates knowledge related to threat identification, risk prioritization, and mitigation strategies. Students engage with assessment tools, guided attack simulations, and defensive tasks that reflect real-world security challenges, allowing them to apply theoretical concepts in a practical and supervised setting.

The educational impact of the proposed framework was assessed through qualitative observation supported by basic quantitative indicators, including student participation, activity completion rates, and feedback collected during workshops, club activities, and challenge-based sessions. Over two academic periods, the laboratory engaged 79 undergraduate students across multiple activities, with participation levels consistently exceeding 80%. Observed results indicate increased student engagement, improved understanding of applied cybersecurity concepts, and sustained interest in continued participation in security-related learning activities.

Overall, the experience indicates that combining a hands-on cybersecurity laboratory with structured extracurricular learning spaces effectively supports early skill development and student engagement. This approach enhances practical competencies, encourages autonomous learning, and can be readily replicated in engineering programs aiming to strengthen cybersecurity preparedness through experiential education.

Keywords:

Cybersecurity Education, Active Learning, Experiential Learning, Engineering Education, Virtual Laboratory.