«Eg heiter…»
For many of the students in Practical Norwegian 1, this was one of the first things they learned to say in Norwegian. For some, the goal was to understand more about everyday life around them. For others, it was about curiosity, future opportunities, or a desire to become better acquainted with Norway.
- Practical Norwegian 1: Micro Credential in Norwegian Language and Culture: A Beginner’s Course
The course is offered by USN through the European university alliance EDUC. It provides students with a practical introduction to Norwegian language and culture, making it easier to participate in simple conversations, understand short texts, and use Norwegian in familiar situations.
The next edition of the course starts in autumn 2026, this time developed as a micro-credential awarding 5 ECTS credits. The registration deadline is 27 August. Sign up via EDUC Catalogue: Practical Norwegian 1
Would you like to hear what the students say?
Students who have already completed Practical Norwegian 1 share their experiences about motivation, challenges, achievements, and how their Norwegian skills have influenced their everyday life in Norway.
Read the students' own experiences here: Bijeta and Natacha learned Norwegian with EDUC
Great interest from both USN and Europe
The spring edition of Practical Norwegian 1 in 2026 received about 90 applicants. Approximately half were from USN, while the other half came from EDUC partner universities across Europe. The course has now completed its second run, with 28 students qualified to sit the final exam.
The strong interest shows a clear trend: courses from USN focusing on Norwegian language, culture, and society are attractive both to international students at USN and to students at EDUC universities in other countries.
Practical Norwegian 1 is one example. USN’s summer school in cultural heritage in Notodden, and a winter school in Rauland focusing on traditional music, art, and dance have also attracted considerable interest from students across Europe.
- Record-high applications for EDUC Summer School in Notodden
- An adventure for both mind and heart at EDUC Winter School in Rauland
At the same time, application numbers from USN show that the demand for Norwegian courses is also high locally. Many international students already living in Norway and studying at USN want more opportunities to learn Norwegian and participate more actively in daily life.
Engaged students from the very first lesson
For the teachers, the students’ enthusiasm was one of the most striking impressions.
– My overall impression of the students who completed the mandatory assignments is very good, says Fartein Thorsen Øverland, one of the course instructors.
He reports that some students had some prior knowledge, but most started completely without any Norwegian background.
– After ten teaching sessions of two hours each, as well as independent work, many achieved the learning objectives for the A1 level. Some even surpassed this level, says Øverland.
Calina-Maria Moldovan, who also taught on the course, highlights the voluntary effort students put in outside of class.
– Above all, I was impressed by the students’ engagement. Most were truly motivated, making the teaching both dynamic and lively. We often finished late because of questions and discussions. It was rewarding to see students exceed the usual A1 goals. It was also great to see how much some of them worked independently outside the course, she says.
The teaching was conducted as live online sessions. This made it possible to bring together students from various EDUC universities and from several USN campuses in the same learning environment.
– This was a very good solution for this course. The students were in different locations, and direct oral practice is necessary for effective language learning, says Øverland.
A course that meets diverse needs
The students had different reasons for enrolling. Some were already living in Norway as exchange students and wanted to understand more of the language they encountered in daily life. Others followed the course from abroad and wanted a more systematic and academic introduction to Norwegian.
– For the students who were on exchange at USN, the motivation was primarily to participate more fully in everyday life in society. We are pleased to be able to meet this need across campuses through EDUC, says Øverland.
Moldovan observed the same in her group:
– Some of the students already lived in Norway and wanted to learn Norwegian to integrate better. Others had tried to learn Norwegian on their own and needed more structure, guidance, and clarity. There were also students interested because they had lived in, travelled to, or had family in Norway. And then there were students taking the course out of pure curiosity and completely new to the language, she says.
Norwegian as a key to further opportunities
Practical Norwegian 1 is not just about language. The course can also be seen in connection with EDUC’s broader work on labour market relevance and international career pathways.
– Learning Norwegian is about more than vocabulary and grammar. For international students who wish to live and work in Norway, the language can be an important key to belonging, integration, and future opportunities, says EDUC’s Kine Korsmo, senior advisor for international educational cooperation at USN.
For students who want to live, study, work, or apply for internships in Norway, Norwegian skills can be a significant advantage. The course can also be combined with the digital EDUC Employability Course, where students can choose a country-specific learning pathway. One of these is aimed at the Norwegian labour market and job seeking within a Norwegian context.
- Read more about the EDUC Employability Course: Dreaming of a job or internship abroad?
Registration for the fifth edition of the EDUC Employability Course takes place through the EDUC catalogue by 30 July 2026. The sixth edition is planned with two runs, spring and autumn 2027.
A digital classroom without borders
The students in Practical Norwegian 1 came from different countries, fields of study, and programmes. Through online teaching, they could practice Norwegian together, ask questions, share experiences, and support each other in the learning process.
For many, the course thus became not only an encounter with the Norwegian language but also an encounter with other students in the EDUC alliance.
As EDUC continues to develop joint learning offerings across Europe, Practical Norwegian 1 shows how language can open doors to participation, mobility, and community, both between countries and within local student environments.
For students taking their first steps in Norwegian, a simple sentence like «My name is …» can be the beginning of something bigger: more participation, stronger belonging, and new opportunities in Norway.