Professors, students and researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) attended the opening night of the Integrated Seminar LAIS / ICDE for the Internationalization of Higher Education Training, which will be held until this Friday (12), in the Auditorium from the Metrópole Digital Institute.

The event is part of the preparations for the 29th World Online Learning Conference to be held next year in Natal. At the ceremony that opened the proceedings, the Secretary General of the International Council for open and Distance Education (ICDE), Torunn Gjelsvik, welcomed the participants and said that it was a pleasure to visit Brazil for the first time, in addition to knowing well successful in the area of ​​Distance Education.

The first seminar lecture was given by professor Ricardo Valentim, LAIS Coordinator. He gave context to the Rapid Response to Syphilis Project (No Syphilis), Global Health and highlighted that qualified information, that which comes from universities, is an important ally in the prevention and control of diseases, also referring to coping to the new coronavirus.

Then, “Café com Ideias” took place under the guidance of UFRN’s Secretary of Distance Education, Carmem Rêgo. Professors Carlos Alberto Oliveira, researcher at LAIS and UERJ, in addition to being a member of the ICDE Executive Committee, and Alexandre Martins, President of Associação Universidade em Rede (Unirede) and Secretary of Educational Technology at UFMT, addressed topics related to lifelong learning of life, technology-mediated education and the need to debate a new educational model based on online platforms.

Natal City Hall supports Conference
The City of Natal has supported LAIS / UFRN since the beginning of the application process to organize the 29th World Conference on Online Learning, promoted biannually by ICDE. In 2019, Dublin, Ireland, received the speakers and, in 2021, it will be the turn of the capital of Rio Grande do Norte to host education professionals, researchers and students from various parts of the world.

On Wednesday afternoon (11), the Municipal Secretary of Government, Fernando Fernandes, the newly installed Municipal Secretary of Tourism, Joham Xavier, as well as representatives from the Municipal Health and Education Secretariats, met with the organizing team of the Conference.

Fernando Fernandes thanked, on behalf of Mayor Álvaro Dias, the fact that Natal was chosen to host this international event. The Secretary registered all the demands related to logistics, security and the tourism sector and made the city hall staff available to work in partnership with the conference organizers.

The meeting was attended by ICDE General Secretary Torunn Gjelsvik, ICDE Events and Communication Coordinator Caroline Seville, LAIS Conference Secretary and researcher Carlos Alberto Oliveira, UFPE Professor and LAIS researcher Cristine Gusmão, in addition to the LAIS Communication Advisor, Valéria Credidio.