Designing Modular Cybersecurity Education for Healthcare: Integrating XiA and ManagiDiTH Frameworks with CyberSecPro Insights

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.21.1.4515

Keywords:

Cybersecurity education, Healthcare cybersecurity, Microlearning, Microcredentials, European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF)

Abstract

The healthcare sector faces increasingly complex cybersecurity threats due to its rapid digital transformation, including the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), connected medical devices, and telehealth services. This paper presents a modular and interdisciplinary model for cybersecurity education tailored to healthcare professionals. The model integrates three EU-funded initiatives: the XiA Framework’s microlearning approach, the ManagiDiTH master’s programme’s strategic and human-centric curriculum, and the CyberSecPro project’s hands-on, scenario-based training modules. Together, these components form a comprehensive educational ecosystem that supports continuous professional development, microcredentialing, and alignment with European standards such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and ENISA’s European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF). The paper outlines the pedagogical foundations of microlearning, the structure of Micro-Content Learning Blocks (MCLBs), and the curriculum design principles that foster cyber resilience in healthcare. It concludes with a discussion on implementation potential, impact indicators, and future directions for research and practice.

Author Biographies

Jyri Rajamäki, Laurea University of Applied Sciences

Jyri Rajamäki is Principal Lecturer in Information Technology at Laurea University of Applied Sciences
and Adjunct Professor of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Cyber Security at the University of
Jyväskylä, Finland. He holds a D.Sc. degree in electrical and communications engineering from Helsinki
University of Technology, and a PhD degree in mathematical information technology from the University of
Jyväskylä.

Jussi Simola, University of Jyväskylä

Jussi Simola is a postdoctoral researcher. He has received a Ph.D. in cybersecurity from the University of Jyväskylä. Earlier, he worked as a cybersecurity specialist at Laurea University of Applied Sciences and participated in developing a joint early warning system for the EU member countries. The current research area is focused on cybersecurity in the Critical Infrastructure.

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Published

19-02-2026

Issue

Vol. 21 No. 1 (2026): Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (ICCWS 2026)

Section

Academic Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Jyri Rajamäki, Jussi Simola

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.