Language Course
User Guide
Introduction
Welcome to this user guide, which is designed to tell you all about the Online Linguistic Support (OLS) platform, and help you use it before, during and after your Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps mobility. The OLS website includes online language courses that are accessible for Higher Education students, trainees, volunteers and Vocational Education and Training (VET) students.
Access and Connection to the OLS Platform
After completing your first language assessment, you will receive an invitation by email to sign up for an online language course (if a language course licence has been assigned to you by your sending institution/coordinating organisation). After you receive this, you will be able to access the course by connecting to the OLS platform or the OLS app with the same login credentials that you used for the language assessment.
If you are a Higher Education participant and previously expressed your interest in following an OLS course in the local language(s) of your destination country, you will be given access to courses in your mobility language as well as the official local language(s) of your destination country. Your language courses will be accessible from your Mobility Dashboard.
Please note: If you are taking part in more than one mobility, you may already have a language course licence. If you receive additional access to the same language course for your new mobility, your progress will be saved and your access period will be extended to include your new mobility dates.
My OLS Language Course
Selecting My Learning Path
When you first access the OLS platform, you will be asked to select the type of course you wish to take. OLS will then create a personalised learning path for you. This step, combined with the results from your first language assessment, automatically creates your personalised learning path by determining the information that appears on your home page and the way you navigate the activities on the site.
Please note: If you are using the OLS language course for a local language, you will be asked to provide a self-assessment of your level in this language, as you will have taken the first language assessment in another language.
Navigating Through My Lessons
On the OLS language course home page, you can access learning activities and other tools, such as your profile, scores and more. You will also be able to view your learning path here or freely navigate through the course by using the “All Lessons” option.
Please note: Some features on the platform are only available in certain learning languages, so your home page may vary from one language course to another.
My Personalised Learning Path
Your home page will show the results of your first language assessment or self-assessment, and it will suggest the first activity to start your personalised learning path. This learning path is personalised to your needs and interests, and will guide you through your language course with language “Missions” to complete.
All Lessons (free navigation)
The “All Lessons” tab gives you direct access to all of the learning resources available on the OLS platform.
Available Activities
Depending on your learning language, up to five types of activity are available to you. You can freely browse from one to another depending on your objectives and your level.
- The “Home” and “All Lessons” tabs provide access to the OLS course resources.
- The Live Coaching includes live MOOCs and Tutoring Sessions.
- The “Completed Sessions” section in the “Live Coaching” tab enables free access to all MOOC sessions which have already been broadcast live.
- The Forum is a place to communicate with other OLS participants and is available via a desktop.
- The News section features videos and articles.
Language Course Missions
Vocabulary Mission
Studying a Lesson
To choose a lesson, click on its title or image.
How it Works
Each lesson within a “Mission” is made up of an animation, a group of exercises that allow for quick revision and practice of the target vocabulary, pronunciation exercises, vocabulary revision with flashcards, and a summary test.
How to Use the Vocabulary Modules
The Vocabulary part presents “flashcards” showing words and phrases that you studied in the lesson. These flashcards provide a definition of each word or phrase and an example sentence, which you can listen to in order to hear the correct pronunciation.
Summary Test
The purpose of the summary test is to check that you have properly learnt the words and expressions that you studied in the lesson. Corrections will be provided for any questions that were answered incorrectly and, at the end of the test, you will receive a score.
Grammar Module
Studying a Lesson
To choose a specific lesson, click on its title or image. Depending on your learning language, you can choose grammatical topics such as different tenses, adjectives, articles or word order.
Grammar Rules and Exercises
Click on the title of a section to access it. Each section begins with some preliminary exercises, followed by a grammar rule. Each grammar rule is then followed by different exercises to help you practise the grammar rule in a communicative context. You can access these exercises by clicking on them.
Professional Vocabulary
The “Professional Vocabulary” module, intended for participants who have reached at least level A2 in the first language assessment, offers you the opportunity to address more specialised topics directly related to professional sectors or fields. Whether the theme is, “Banking”, “Science”, “Transport & Logistics” or “Academic Skills”, the vocabulary and activities found in these sections are based on situations in the professional world.
Each lesson is accompanied by comprehension, dictation and spelling exercises. This section is based on the same structure as the aforementioned “vocabulary” module, which is explained above.
Live Coaching
Live Coaching is made up of 2 modules and is accessible from your home page:
- MOOCs, which are educational, interactive videos designed by native-speaking tutors of the language. During the lesson, you have the option of chatting with your tutor as well as with the other participants.
- Tutoring Sessions, which are 30-minute live, online lessons with a tutor and other OLS participants. Every tutoring session is taught by an experienced, native-speaking tutor. In these sessions, you have the opportunity to practise your speaking skills, be corrected, and consolidate what you have been learning on the OLS platform. You are also able to interact with other participants in the class (maximum six participants per session).
On your live coaching dashboard, you will be able to see all scheduled tutoring sessions and MOOCs. Once you have found a session that you are interested in, click on “Register”.
The classroom will open 10 minutes prior to the start of the session. To enter the classroom, click on “Access to classroom”.
Live MOOCs
Each session is focused on a specific topic designed to help you communicate during your Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps mobility. The topics and levels of the sessions will be displayed every week on the dashboard. Sessions are offered on an alternating basis for levels A, B and C.
You can participate in as many MOOCs as you like, as long as you are registered. No tokens are required to register for the MOOCs.
During the MOOC, you will have the opportunity to chat with your tutor and other participants, in order to ask any questions you may have.
Tutoring Sessions
The Tutoring Sessions give you the opportunity to practise speaking with a native-speaking tutor and up to five other OLS participants. Share your experiences and benefit from individual correction and feedback during a session. You can participate in games, debates, role plays, challenging exercises and more during these sessions. These activities will help to improve your pronunciation, vocabulary and develop your confidence in speaking.
You have a choice between the following sessions:
- Theme-based sessions: the tutor chooses the theme of the session
- Open–topic sessions: the participants choose the theme of the session at the start of the class
Organisation and Registration
Tokens
The tutoring sessions last for 30 minutes and can host a maximum of six participants. You will need one token for one 30-minute tutoring session. The number of tokens you will be assigned is proportional to the number of weeks of your mobility period. Two weeks of mobility will grant you the right to one token, to be used in any session you like.
Registration
The sessions are categorised by language and level (A, B and C) and are offered between 09:00 and 16:00 (UTC + 1; UTC + 2 Central European Summer Time). You must register at least 24 hours prior to a session.
The number of participants in a tutoring session is limited to six. You can always check your dashboard to see if there are still places available for the themed session you are interested in attending.
Equipment
Please note that to benefit fully from the tutoring sessions, headphones, a microphone and a webcam are essential.
MOOC Library
You will be able to view previously recorded MOOCs by going to the MOOC Library section. They are categorised by level, from level A to level C. You can watch them as often as you like.
Forum
The Forum, which is accessible from your home page on a desktop or laptop computer, is a space for the exchange of ideas with other participants and a tutor, in your learning language. You can share your knowledge and experiences, help other participants, and propose new topics for debate. To ensure that the entire OLS community can benefit from your questions and responses, we ask you to submit your questions in your learning language (or in English, if you are a level A speaker).
News
The News module enables you to develop your comprehension skills by reading the international news. New articles and videos are posted regularly and feature the latest news and current affairs.
Browse the articles and click on underlined words for a definition and translation. The Quiz option enables you to check if you have understood the article.
Videos are available with subtitles in your learning language. Click on the words of the subtitles for their meaning. Some videos also come with a quiz.
Interface Language
If you want to view the OLS platform in another language, you can change the interface language by clicking on the drop-down menu at the top of the page. If you are using the OLS app, you can change the interface language by clicking on “Language” in the “Settings” tab.
Help
You can access the Help section from your home page in the “Settings” tab. This section provides detailed information about the platform and access to your profile, should you wish to edit it. We recommend that you take advantage of the guided tour, which presents the various features of the OLS language courses.
Record of Participation for the Language Courses
When your access period to an OLS language course expires, you will receive an email containing a PDF file with your record of participation. Alternatively, you can download it from the Mobility Dashboard of the OLS platform by clicking on “Record of Participation”. This record will display the number of hours you have spent on your OLS language course. Please note that only complete hours are recorded on the OLS platform.
We hope you have a successful learning experience with your OLS language course!