DIGITAL EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN PORTUGAL AND BRAZIL – CHALLENGES AND TRANSFORMATIONS

"This Communication aims to promote a reflection on Digital Education in Higher Educations Institutions in Portugal and Brazil, and the challenges and transformations perceived, when it is implemented, on the occasion of remote teaching during the pandemic of the new corona virus. From this study, a greater exchange of experiences in terms of methodological proposals in relation to Digital Education could be a great positive differential. And yet, different ways of facing the different challenges to which the researched institutions were and are being submitted, tends to promote valuable cooperation between the researched institutions, promoting the necessary transformations, in the face of the adversities encountered. In Higher Education, Digital Education is seen as a trend in education, as well as in citizenship. What reinforces the 2030 agenda of the UN (United Nations Organization), in its SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals, for a more inclusive world. Digital Education, for some higher education institutions, was previously adopted as a beginner, today it is seen as a trend that allows broad access to higher education, expanding the notion of citizenship. The challenges are numerous and need to be overcome, mainly because of its originality. And, as we are not in a controlled situation, neither in relation to the virus, technological conditions, nor behavioral, psychological conditions, efforts must be scaled in order to make cooperation between institutions the true legacy of this context. In this way, it is believed that Digital Education will be increasingly fulfilling its transforming role of promoting a more inclusive society."