NAU is an innovative Portuguese-language platform whose mission is to be a reference for Lusophone knowledge, making knowledge accessible to all, for Portugal and for the Portuguese. On the Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities, we celebrate all Portuguese people and people of Portuguese descent, Portuguese culture, and the Portuguese language.
Celebrate this day with us and learn more about NAU, a service of the FCCN unit of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), how it serves Portugal and what its advantages are, with our manager, Pedro Cabral.
Portugal Day, Camões Day and the Portuguese Communities Day
June 10th is the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities. How does NAU, as a platform, recognize and contribute to promoting the importance of this date and its significance?
NAU serves the Lusophone community, whether in Portugal, in countries where Portuguese is an official language, or even all speakers of the language of Camões worldwide. The President of the Republic has been committed to maintaining direct contact with the Portuguese community abroad during June 10th, and it is with great pleasure that we see NAU fulfilling this role every day, as NAU users are located throughout the world, particularly in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Spain, the USA, France, the Netherlands, Mozambique, the United Kingdom, and São Tomé and Príncipe, to name just a few of the most representative countries.
Considering the courses available at NAU, how do you think they can contribute to strengthening ties between populations dispersed across the vast Portuguese-speaking world?
There are several institutions contributing to this role, either physically, through local associations with activities celebrating June 10th itself, or remotely, as is the case with RTP Internacional.
In an increasingly digital world, it's easier for families to maintain contact with their land, their families, and their people. As a digital learning platform, NAU also serves this role of strengthening ties, allowing those outside the community to gain insight into the knowledge and perspective that a Portuguese entity, in a given field, brings to NAU.
For example, the courses of fake news have a set of contextual aspects centered on our reality. This allows users abroad to maintain this proximity, with a common starting point: Portugal. But it also creates a very interesting dynamic, bringing their life experience from a distinct cultural context, as each country has its own idiosyncrasies.
#3 What do you consider to be the main advantages of having a platform like NAU?
Although English is the most widely spoken language in the world, not everyone speaks it. There is no platform dedicated exclusively to the Portuguese language or representing those who speak the language of Camões. NAU creates this space, serving a relatively large group of people who don't speak other languages.
Knowing that the NAU platform recently launched its first course in English, how do you intend to manage the coexistence of courses in different languages, considering that NAU advertises itself as a reference platform for Lusophone knowledge?
As I mentioned earlier, we don't just represent the Portuguese language, because we also represent Lusophone organizations. In this sense, we must recognize that some of these organizations have an international scope of work and English is part of their daily work. Even when Lusophone organizations create courses in other languages, they often bring in contextual aspects related to Lusophony. Therefore, we continue to fulfill our mission of bringing Lusophone knowledge. In this way, we remain the reference platform for Lusophone knowledge, and this leads us to want to continue navigating the world, sharing what we know and do best, regardless of language.
What are the platform's future growth plans? Regarding new courses, will you continue offering Portuguese courses, or is expanding to other languages one of NAU's goals?
Our focus for the coming months is on promoting courses that have an impact on employability, whether for those already working and needing to improve their work, for those looking to make a career change, or even for those just starting out. On the other hand, we also want to focus on greater diversity in terms of fields of knowledge. This way, we will expand NAU's target audience and create better conditions for the desired massification, promoting increased digital literacy.
What message would you like to leave to Portuguese people living abroad who are encountering NAU for the first time?
Let them share it and make the most of it.
What is the NAU platform?
The NAU platform is a service developed and managed by FCCN Unit from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) that allows the creation of courses in the format MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), that is, courses that are open and accessible to everyone, produced by recognized and relevant entities in society, which have the participation of thousands of people.
This platform, which celebrated its 2nd anniversary in April 2021, is part of the cross-cutting actions of the Portugal initiative INCoDe.2030 by promoting digital development, digital inclusion and literacy, and education and training for the working population. INCoDe.2030 finds in NAU a tool that contributes to greater access to knowledge and the development of skills, making the population more qualified.
Meet the courses available, and more information by visiting the website NAU.
