Empowering Students for a Cyber-Safe Future: Insights from January 2025 Cybersecurity Awareness Workshop

This research evaluated the impact of a virtual cybersecurity Awareness Workshop hosted in January 2025 at Hostos Community College in collaboration with CSTEP, MACSS, and Africatech Global Link, Inc. The workshops aimed to strengthen participants’ cybersecurity skills through interactive workshop presentations, demonstrations, and Q&A sessions. Survey data from 31 respondents revealed significant increases in participants’ cybersecurity knowledge and confidence, with ratings of “excellent” or “good” rising from 39% before to 90% after the workshops. Nearly all participants reported plans to adopt stronger security practices such as multi-factor authentication and password managers. The study highlights the vital role short, scenario-based cybersecurity education can play in empowering students and community members with practical, lifelong digital safety skills.

Abstract
This study examined participant outcomes from a series of virtual cybersecurity Awareness Workshops held in January 2025 by the Hostos Community College Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. The workshops aimed to build cybersecurity knowledge and practical skills among students and community members. Survey results from 31 participants demonstrated significant improvements in cybersecurity understanding, confidence, and intended security behaviors. Findings highlight the critical role of educational interventions in promoting cybersecurity resilience among underrepresented populations.

Introduction and Problem Statement
As cyber threats continue to expand in scale and sophistication, there is a growing need to build digital resilience within academic and community settings. Many students and community members lack foundational knowledge of cybersecurity principles, leaving them vulnerable to social engineering, password misuse, phishing, and ransomware attacks.

The January 2025 cybersecurity Awareness Workshop was developed to address these gaps by offering an accessible, interactive program to educate participants on cybersecurity best practices. The research question guiding this evaluation was:
What impact does a short-term cybersecurity awareness program have on participants’ knowledge, confidence, and planned behaviors?

Participant self-rated cybersecurity knowledge before and after workshop

Literature Review
1. Puhakainen & Siponen (2010) demonstrated that active cybersecurity training interventions can measurably improve participants’ compliance with security practices, emphasizing a research-based approach to awareness.

2. National Institute of Standards and Technology (2023) underscores that cybersecurity awareness programs should be ongoing, culturally responsive, and tailored to audience needs for maximum effectiveness.

3. Verizon (2024) reported that social engineering and phishing remain top attack vectors globally, illustrating the need for personal resilience and detection skills among everyday users.

4. Hadnagy & Fincher (2015) explained how phishing and social engineering manipulate human psychology, reinforcing the urgency of targeted, scenario-based educational interventions.

These sources collectively argue that cybersecurity education must be practical, engaging, and sustained, particularly among populations that historically have limited access to cybersecurity training.

Methodology and Data Collection
Between January 6 and January 15, 2025, six virtual workshops were conducted via an online platform. Participants attended interactive presentations, demonstrations, and Q&A sessions. An average of 36 people joined each session.

At the end of the program, an anonymous survey was administered to measure workshop impact. 31 participants responded. The survey included quantitative questions about perceived knowledge, confidence, and relevance of workshop topics, as well as open-ended questions to capture qualitative reflections and suggestions.

Survey data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics (percentages) and thematic analysis of open-ended responses.

Findings

• 84% of participants reported this was their first cybersecurity training
• The percentage of participants rating their cybersecurity understanding as “excellent” or “good” rose from 39% before to 90% after the workshop.
• 94% agreed the workshop was relevant to their personal or professional lives.
• 90% gained confidence in identifying cybersecurity threats.
• Nearly all participants reported they planned to adopt improved security behaviors, such as:
  • Using password managers
  • Enabling multi-factor authentication
  • Reviewing email domains before opening links
  • Changing passwords more frequently

Qualitative feedback showed participants especially valued hands-on demonstrations, practical tools (such as password managers and malware maps), and links to future career pathways.

Discussion
These findings align with prior research showing the value of practical, scenario-driven cybersecurity education (Hadnagy & Fincher, 2015; NIST, 2023). The dramatic jump from 39% to 90% in perceived cybersecurity knowledge demonstrates that even a short-term workshop can significantly impact self-efficacy and security readiness.

However, participants also suggested improvements:
More hands-on labs
More resources for self-study after the workshop
Deeper explanations of career pathways in cybersecurity

These recommendations can help shape future workshops to be even more targeted and impactful, especially for underrepresented or first-time learners in cybersecurity.

Teaching Takeaways
As faculty, there is a tremendous opportunity to embed cybersecurity into our teaching across disciplines. Here are some tested ideas you can bring to your classroom or department:

• Add cybersecurity mini-sessions. Even 5–10 minutes on phishing or password hygiene can spark curiosity.
• Use live demos and scenarios. Participants appreciated realistic, relatable examples and hands-on practice.
• Link to employability. Many participants were motivated by learning how cybersecurity skills can open career doors.
• Partner up. Collaborate with student clubs, IT teams, or external partners to run workshops regularly.
• Empower peer ambassadors. Consider training students who complete workshops to serve as cybersecurity mentors.
• Provide ongoing resources. Participants requested follow-up websites, handouts, and certifications to deepen their skills.

Conclusion
The January 2025 cybersecurity Awareness Workshop significantly improved cybersecurity knowledge, confidence, and intentions for safer behavior among participants — many of whom had no prior cybersecurity training. Incorporating similar, interactive, and repeatable educational opportunities into college programming could build a foundation of digital safety and resilience among all students.

References
Puhakainen, P., & Siponen, M. (2010). Improving employees’ compliance through information systems security training: An action research study. MIS Quarterly, 34(4), 757–778. https://doi.org/10.2307/25750704

National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2023). cybersecurity awareness and training program (NIST Special Publication 800-50). https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-50

Verizon. (2024). 2024 data breach investigations report. Verizon Business.

Hadnagy, C., & Fincher, M. (2015). Phishing dark waters: The offensive and defensive sides of malicious emails. Wiley