Online Learning Agreement - What are we talking about?

The new version of the Online Learning Agreement platform has been released and is now available at the fingertips of the Erasmus Generation, as an integral part of the digitalisation process of the Erasmus+ programme.

The OLA can be used by students participating in an Erasmus+ mobility for studies or traineeships between the Higher Education Institutions that are holders of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).

The learning agreement is a key document for an Erasmus+ mobility to take place. Starting with the 2021-2027 Erasmus+ programme, the online learning agreements will become the norm.

You can use the Online Learning Agreement here: https://www.learning-agreement.eu

Over the last years, we were able to observe how digital learning agreements can drastically reduce administrative workload and make it easier for students to enjoy a high-quality mobility experience. In the past, the complexity of the paperwork process led to learning agreements not always being finalised before departure, as well as issues with the recognition of ECTS after the students returned back home.

In 2015 ESN joined the initiative started by the European University Foundation (EUF), called the Online Learning Agreement project, that would develop a tool for both students and universities to use for creating and signing a learning agreement online. In May 2017, OLA was launched as a proof of concept for higher education institutions to try out and adopt. EUF followed up on this with another project, OLA+, that worked on adding new functionalities to the platform, such as learning agreements for traineeships and the measurement of user satisfaction.

In a research carried out at the end of 2019 - beginning of 2020, more than 90% of students declared they would recommend the OLA to their peers. Furthermore, 93% of IROs think that all learning agreements should be done online through an easy-to-use tool.

A more robust, secure, transparent and flexible OLA now makes sure this continues to be the case for the years ahead. You can find more information about what changes the new OLA brings in
the Release Notes.

In the months to follow, the OLA will be integrated into the new Erasmus+ App.
The learning agreements for studies created for this semester, as well as the learning agreements for traineeships, are now still available via the previous OLA platform.

OLA and Erasmus Without Paper are the first two major digitalisation initiatives where the Erasmus Student Network played an important role. Subsequently, ESN is now actively involved in other digitalisation initiatives such as Erasmus Skills or the new Erasmus+ App.

The Online Learning Agreement 3.0 is an Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership funded by
the Luxembourg Erasmus National Agency, whose continued support for this ambitious endeavour we would like to acknowledge. The Erasmus Student Network is proud to be part of a consortium constituted by: