The academic communities in Portugal have rapidly taken up distance learning services due to the COVID-19 epidemic. Over very short time, the number of daily users has risen from just below 2,000 to more than 60,000.
Named after the tiny Colibri (English: hummingbird), the distance learning service of the Foundation for Science and Technology in Portugal has seen a steep rise in popularity since the COVID-19 outbreak. From the normal average of 210 daily e-meetings and conferences, the number has risen to 2,698 (March 16, 2020). Similarly, the average number of daily users used to be just below 2,000. On March 16, it was 63,181.
“In the context of the current public health crisis, with tele-working and distance learning coming in as solutions, we can affirm an exponential growth of services such as the Colibri,” says Nuno Rodrigues, speaking for the Foundation for Science and Technology.
Submitted by Jane Gifford
