This paper is the continuation of a previous one presented to EDULEARN last year, where we introduced an innovative hands-on tool for self-learning of wireless technologies by means of a self-contained “RFID student’s box”, including all components required to put into practice a real use case based on a secure access control system with modern capabilities. The initial RFID student’s box demonstrated an effective solution for autonomous learning of this popular type of radio frequency technology in addition to providing a valuable add-on resource in courses related to wireless communications engineering. This is confirmed by the positive feedback from students who tested the box. This year, our group is involved in a new educational innovation project, funded by the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) to extend the capabilities of our previous version with brand-new features. In the upgraded version of our RFID student’s box, we aim to enhance its functionalities in two key areas: virtualization of the RFID tags and implementation of a security layer. Regarding virtualization, we will create a virtual RFID tag that operates on a commercial smartphone running the widely used Android Operating System (OS). First, students become familiar with Android Studio, an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) optimized for Android application development. Next, they learn how to control and operate the RFID chip embedded in the smartphone to implement a virtual RFID card. Additionally, they design and develop an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI) to configure the virtual tag. Finally, students compile the source code to generate an Android Package Kit (APK) file, which can be directly installed on a commercial smartphone or uploaded to an Android Marketplace. To support the learning process, we will create a comprehensive user manual to provide a step-by-step guide for students on the design and implementation of a virtual RFID tag on an Android OS smartphone. Additionally, following our successful series of short instructional videos for the initial RFID student’s box, continuation videos will be recorded here too to explain the most critical steps to support the students interestingly, followed by a pilot study involving real students which will be conducted to validate the learning experience. On the security layer front, ensuring security and privacy settings on IoT devices is crucial to safeguarding information and maintaining system integrity. To address this challenge, we are developing a structured framework to guide students in categorizing cyber-attacks. Furthermore, we will design and simulate specific cyber-attacks to assess the robustness of the RFID Student Box. It is expected this initiative will provide students with a hands-on learning experience, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of RFID technology and IoT security. In this paper, we will present the objectives to be met in our educational innovation project along with all the above-mentioned activities besides reviewing the results obtained and referring to the outcomes achieved. Also, the virtual tags will be integrated with the existing passive tags and RFID reader from the last project to get an incremental learning tool available for students to a Master course on short-range wireless communications at UPM and another Master course on radiofrequency and subsystems at Carlos III University of Madrid (Spain).

Keywords: Self-learning, Learning by doing, Educational Innovation Projects, RFID, Android, Smartphone.