Information security and data privacy training course

The aim of the information security and data privacy training course is to ensure staff and students understand their responsibilities in relation to information security and privacy compliance legislation.

New training being launched end of 2023

During Michaelmas term 2023 we are replacing the training course in CoSy with new Oxford Secure training from MetaCompliance. There will be two courses available, one for staff and one for students.

Please contact the Oxford Secure project for more information.

Students

Please note: If you handle university data as part of your studies or have been asked to provide a certificate to your department as proof of completion of the information security training, you should complete the full information security and data protection course.

Students are invited to take this short course aimed at keeping you safe online at Oxford. It takes around 10 minutes to complete and consists of short videos about phishing and social media, the dangers of social networking and student scams.

There is also an interactive activity within the course which we are aware some people with accessibility issues may not be able to do, so we have also offered an accessible version of the course which replaces the interactive activity with a video which conveys the same information.

As a student at Oxford, it’s important you have the knowledge, life skills and resources to navigate the digital landscape securely and that you know how to play your part in protecting University systems. Understanding cyber security is not just a precaution, it's a necessity. You are not required to complete the student training course, but we would strongly encourage you to do so.

You will need to login using your SSO (Oxford Single Sign-On), with multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Please also visit the page for students for more information, resources, and practical steps towards a safer digital future.

This is the first time we have offered this training to students, so if you have any comments or feedback, please contact the Oxford Secure project team

Take the student training

Accessible version of the student training

Staff

All staff must complete information security and data privacy training every 12 months to ensure the University is compliant with UK data protection legislation. It takes approximately 30-40 minutes to complete. There is a test at the end which you are required to pass with a minimum score of 75%. There is no fee for the course.

The content is broken down into nine sections:

Why do we need to protect information?
Protecting against threats
Data privacy and the law
Accessing and sharing information
Working securely
Phishing and malware
Bring your own device (BYOD)
Cloud computing
Reporting issues

Take the staff course

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Booking on to the course

First you must enrol on the course. If you are not already logged in, you will now need to enter your SSO credentials.You will be taken to a page called "Your basket"
Ensure that the "Delegates" dropdown box is displaying "1"
Now select the green "Next Step ->" button. You will be taken to a page called "Delegates"
Ensure that your name appears next to "Delegate 1"
Now select the green "Next Step ->" button. You will be taken to a page called "Keeping in touch"
On the "Keeping in touch" page" you may optionally choose to receive communications about other courses and learning activities at Oxford. Select your preferred options, this will not affect your access to the course.
There is no charge and no payment required for this course. On this screen select the green "Next Step ->" button. You will be taken to a page called "Payment details"
Check the box to accept the term and conditions.
Select the green "Complete ->" button. Now, you are taken to a page called "Order summary". A confirmation email will be sent to your email address containing a link to the course. It could take up to an hour for this email to arrive in your inbox.
Once the email has arrived select the "direct link" which will open the course in your default browser.

Completing the course

Select "Click here to launch the lesson", the course will open in a new window.
Select the "Enter" button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window. You will be taken to the introduction page:
To begin the course select the "Start" button. You will see the main menu page
At the end of each section select the "Return to menu" button which will take you back to the main menu screen. Once you have completed a section, the text box on the menu screen will change to white indicating you have completed that section

Please note

If you exit the course the section boxes will return to their original colour. If this happens to you, you are not required to re-complete the sections you have already done. On the other hand if you want to repeat a section you can do so as many times as you like.

When you are ready, take the test. To obtain a pass mark you must score a minimum of 75%. There are 20 questions in the test and you have unlimited attempts to pass.

Accessing your results

Once you have passed the course, you will receive your confirmation email within 24 hours. This confirmation email will contain a link to your certificate. Please download the certificate and keep a copy for your records.

If you did not pass the test, you will receive an email notifying you of your score and offering you the opportunity to retake the test. If you do not pass the test, and do not retake it, you will receive reminder emails until you pass the test. You have an unlimited number of attempts at the test.