in applied cryptography, blending both practical and theoretical components would offer students the strongest engagement. However, to make the courses particularly appealing to students, especially female students who historically show stronger interest in cybersecurity when it emphasizes real-world impact and inclusivity, leaning more towards practical applications and interactive exercises might be beneficial.

Recommended Course Focus:

• Balanced blend: Begin with foundational theory and cryptographic principles. Quickly transition to practical exercises (hands-on labs, simulations, capture-the-flag competitions). Highlight real-world applications such as securing IoT devices, blockchain technology, or privacy tools.
• Inclusivity strategies: Showcase successful women leaders in cybersecurity. Provide case studies involving cybersecurity in socially impactful fields (healthcare, privacy rights, humanitarian tech).

Recommended Academic Websites & Resources:

Here are several highly reputable universities and platforms that provide comprehensive cybersecurity course materials, outlines, PPTs, PDFs, and textbooks:

1. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) - CyLab

• Why: Recognized global leader in cybersecurity research and education.
• Resources: CMU CyLab Education INI CMU Course Outlines

2. Stanford University - Applied Cryptography and Cybersecurity

• Why: Strong applied and theoretical programs, notable for balancing theory and hands-on experience.
• Resources: Stanford Online Cybersecurity Courses Applied Cryptography at Stanford

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - OCW Cybersecurity

• Why: OpenCourseWare provides full course materials (lectures, slides, assignments).
• Resources: MIT OCW Cybersecurity Courses MIT Open Learning Library

4. University of Maryland - Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2)

• Why: Notable cybersecurity research hub with comprehensive curriculum examples.
• Resources: MC2 Educational Resources

5. UC Berkeley - EECS Cybersecurity Courses

• Why: Excellent intersection of theory, applied cryptography, and privacy.
• Resources: Berkeley EECS Courses Berkeley ICSI Center for Cybersecurity

6. University of Washington - Paul G. Allen School

• Why: Known for accessible, inclusive, and diverse cybersecurity curriculum.
• Resources: UW CSE Security Courses UW Cybersecurity Initiative

7. Royal Holloway, University of London - Information Security Group

• Why: Prestigious cybersecurity center especially in applied cryptography.
• Resources: Information Security Group Courses

Cybersecurity is a very broad field, covering many aspects of technical solutions, legal regulations and user attitudes. There are too many universities offering studies in cybersecurity and many of them are unable to provide an adequate level of education. I have noticed that most of them focus on the issue of legal regulations, which seems to me to result from the fact that it is easier to prepare a curriculum and educational materials. Therefore, I suggest you pay attention to this and try to maintain a balance between regulations and technical issues. Pay attention to the specifics of the university and the field of study, as well as your own interests and competences. I think that if you have experience in cryptography, it is worth making it an asset to your classes. On the other hand, it is always better to leave the issues you do not know about to specialists in these fields. Simply use the search engine as if you were looking for your dream course. Examples of good studies can be valuable inspiration, but poor examples also have their value because they will show you what can be done better or what mistakes to avoid. So first, check as many existing options as possible, and then go back to the ones that interest you the most. It's hard for me to give specific examples, because cybersecurity is a really big topic. I believe that education should be as practical as possible - but that can't mean limiting it to "training monkeys" - The practical aspect, as I understand it, must include appropriate theoretical preparation and an appropriate level of understanding, allowing for the practical application of knowledge and independence in performing tasks and diagnosing and solving problems. Some training courses lean too much towards the "practical" side, limiting exercises to mindless repetition of activities after the instructor, without proper understanding of what these activities consist of and what they are for. The impracticality of completely eliminating theoretical issues is best demonstrated by how people trained in this way do not cope in the real work environment. Do you think you need to adapt the curriculum to the gender of students? The fact is that some interests are quite strongly correlated with gender, but I think that the selection for these interests takes place at the stage of choosing the field of study. That's why in some fields we can encounter a large gender gap, even at the level of 80:20 or 90:10. But once you have a group selected based on interests, I don't expect gender to be a significant factor. So don't focus on adapting the program to a specific group, but try to make the classes attractive to a student interested in cybersecurity. It doesn't matter whether the student is a man or a woman, just as it doesn't matter whether they listen to rap or punk rock.