What began as a student mobility project evolved into a high-stakes digital adventure. The result was the creation of Money Heist: Dubai – a cybersecurity-themed escape room.
Noroff University College works to ensure that education reflects the modern professional world by being global, digital, and inherently collaborative. This past summer, this vision came to life through a partnership between Noroff University College and Teesside University in the UK.
Operating entirely remotely, teams of students from Norway and the UK bridged time zones and cultures. Together, they designed an immersive experience titled Money Heist: Dubai.
The original brief was to develop a digital escape room. Ambitious students interpreted this brief creatively and developed an even more engaging concept. Players were tasked as an elite cybercrime crew hired to infiltrate the high-tech “Al Mazhar Bank” and secure the legendary $500 million Desert Star Diamond.
Curious? Try it here.
Screenshot: Money Heist: Dubai website
Integrating Hard and Soft Skills for Success
– The project was an exercise in applying technical knowledge to creative storytelling, says Emlyn Butterfield, Rector of Noroff University College.
Students from across computing disciplines, including cybersecurity and digital forensics, collaborated over four weeks to build puzzles rooted in real-world scenarios. The teams crafted challenges based on log file analysis, password decryption, and rerouting bank alarm systems.
The students also focused on developing the narrative flow, user interface, and the “race against time” atmosphere essential for an engaging escape room. Another important task was to ensure that every act of the heist was supported by clear technical documentation and functional feedback loops.
– For our students, this project offered a taste of the contemporary workplace. Being involved in a project across borders demands diplomacy, clear communication, and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, says Butterfield.
An Epic Cybersecurity Escape Room
Cyber Security student at Noroff University College, Lucian Moise, fully agrees.
– The project resulted in an epic cybersecurity escape room inspired by real-world scenarios, ethical hacking, coding, and digital forensics, says Lucian, who teamed up with students from Teesside University.
He describes the Dubai Heist project as a journey full of challenges, creativity, design, and boundary stretching.
– My role involved creating new riddles and puzzles, embedding encryption in real-world scenarios, and providing documentation for every act. I also contributed feedback on overall functionality and design ideas such as themes, layout, and the timer positioned in the top-right corner of each escape room.
Lucian notes that the project’s challenges enhanced his skills in collaboration, encryption, time management, and design. It also proved valuable for developing new soft skills and gaining experience in cross-country project management.
Lucian Moise is a bachelor’s student in Cyber Security at Noroff University College and valued the opportunity for international collaboration in the Dubai Heist-project. (Photo: Private)
Linking Global Teamwork and Professional Growth
The initiative exemplifies Noroff University College’s focus on providing students with international perspectives and hands-on, industry-relevant experience.
– By working with partners like Teesside University, we are not only enhancing the student experience but also building a global community of tech professionals, says Butterfield.
Student feedback shows that cross-border teamwork is both rewarding and motivating, providing a strong incentive to further develop international collaborations.
– We are dedicated to growing these partnerships and ensuring our graduates are prepared to lead in an interconnected, digital world. The Dubai Heist project was a success, but the real prize was the collaborative spirit and professional growth of the students involved, concludes Butterfield.
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