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Trainers' Curriculum

Credits LevelUp   Last Updated 2016-06

LevelUp's Trainers' Curriculum is a module-based collection of training sessions, field-tested and documented by a growing number of fellow digital security trainers, and gathered here to share with the wider global network of trainers. An open and participatory dynamic sets the tone for a training space that is more conducive to learning in general, and specifically to adult learning. The session modules within the LevelUp curriculum are designed to support just such an environment for your events.

Trainers' Curriculum Themes

Assessing Risks and Solutions

Tools are not silver bullets – critical thinking and informed decision making are the true hallmarks of a strong, holistic practice of digital security. This sessions in this section encourage training participants to think critically about digital security risks, and furthermore support the development of personalized, context-specific stratgies to mitigate such risks.

Malware Protection

This section contains training modules related to protecting devices and data from malicious software (malware), and practices which training participants can adopt to lessen their exposure to it. Topics addressed include what malware is, how devices can become exposed to it, and how to mitigate the risks malware poses.

Mobile Safety

This section contains training modules related to safe practices for mobile devices, in particular mobile phones. Topics addressed include how mobile network structures transmit data, how mobile phone technology functions, and strategies for safer communication using mobile devices.

Protecting Data

This section contains training modules related to safely storing, backing up, and protecting important or sensitive data, and practices which training participants can adopt to perform regular data backups, create stronger passwords, and make informed decisions around how and where they keep their data. Topics addressed include data backup procedures, creating and managing multiple strong passwords, and detailed options for data storage.

Rethinking Security

The sessions in this section are grounded in promoting digital autonomy - the idea that tools and technology don’t have magic superpowers over us, and that we are the ones who decide what we give them access to. By empowering participants to develop a personalized understanding of digital security concepts, they come away equipped with the information they need to make their own decisions about which tools and practices are best for them.

Safer Browsing

This section contains training modules related to practices for more safely navigating the web, through awareness of the connections users make to the internet and the potentially identifying data that can be left behind. Topics addressed include taking advantage of SSL-protected connections over HTTPS, circumvention techniques and tools, and protecting your identity online while browsing.

Safer Communication

This section contains training modules related to tools and techniques for more secured emailing, messaging, and other online communications. Topics addressed currently include encrypting email messages using GPG/PGP, how public/private-key encryption functions, and the basics of how email travels between users over a network.

Safer Workspaces

This section contains advanced training modules, related to how trainees can begin to setup and use more secure, compartmentalized digital environments to safely go about their work. Topics addressed include an introduction to Tails, an alternative operating system offering an anonymized workspace that leaves no trace of its use on a computer.

Social Media Safety

This section contains curriculum module content concerning safe practices and behaviors when using social media apps and services. Topics addressed focus primarily on helping participants to consider how the information they share about themselves, others, and their networks can be used and misused.