The Secretary of Distance Education of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Carmem Rêgo, recently arrived from Lisbon, where she participated in an extensive work agenda in order to strengthen partnerships with the Open University (UAb) of Portugal. Founded in 1988, UAb is the only public distance higher education institution in that country.

Since 2018, UFRN has been developing collaborative work with the Open University of Portugal. According to Carmem Rêgo, in conversations with the rector of the Portuguese institution, Carla Padrel, it was discussed the UAb’s adherence to the Virtual Student Academic Mobility Program, coordinated by the University in Network Association (UniRede) and which has UFRN as one of the signatories.

Also according to UFRN’s EaD Secretary, commitments were signed for the Brazilian university to join the Distance Education Association of Portuguese Speaking Countries and for the development of new Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) by the two institutions. “The UAb is recognized as one of the most important in the European Union and the bilateral cooperation agreements bring relevant results to the teaching and research of the two universities,” concluded Carmen Rêgo.

Besides these actions, UFRN’s EaD Secretary was part of the committee, led by the executive director of the Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Health (Lais/UFRN), Ricardo Valentim, who contributed with the evaluation of the International Cooperation with UAb/PT, in the scope of the Project “Syphilis No!”, executed by Lais/UFRN, the Ministry of Health, and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). Valentim is the general coordinator of the project, while Carmem Rêgo is the vice-coordinator.

The dean of UAb/PT, Carla Padrel, highlights that the areas of health and sustainability have been explored in this relationship with UFRN, whether in MOOC format courses, or in master’s and doctorate courses. For the Portuguese leader, “these advanced training courses of innovative and global nature emerge from the Luso-Brazilian intellectual and academic space, constituting excellent examples of the scientific and human value of transatlantic cooperation between two institutions for which distance education is a factor of proximity.

Bruno Cássio – Communication Advisor of SEDIS/UFRN.