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Happy New Year, Friends!
Welcome back and a special welcome to our new community
members who are just beginning their mobility program in 2023!
Now, that you’ve had a few weeks to settle into your mobility program, you’re invited to get to know OLS a bit more. Whether you’re studying at university or doing an internship, the OLS English Community is here to support you throughout your journey.
A. HOUSEKEEPING RULES
Let’s start with a bit of housekeeping, shall we?
In the English community, whenever you see words that are both UNDERLINED and in BOLD, those are links for you to click. So make sure you put your little arrow over the bolded words and if you see a line under the words, you know you can click to get to the next level of information. You don’t want to miss out, do you? :)
If you’re not familiar with our Netiquette, please take a look at it here. We want our community to be welcoming and respectful to all.
B. LEARNING THE OLS PLATFORM
To get the new members oriented to OLS, let’s start with our most frequently asked questions:
You can find your English Assessment by clicking here.
Click here to learn how to download the certificate with your assessment results.
To learn about all of the additional resources available to you, you’re invited to read our Orientation Announcement here and simply explore the English community.
C. BLOGS & ARTICLES
All blogs and articles can be found in the Resources area of the dashboard. Our topics range from traveling abroad to regional food rivalries, cultural traditions, and tips.
For example, if you’re looking for a place to live, read our blog to get some tips. You can also check out this survey to give your feedback about how it’s been for you to find a place to live.
D. USING THE THREE FORUMS
All forums are places for you to meet other members, get into discussions, ask for advice, continue practicing a lesson learned in the modules, and much more. The forums are also a place for you to suggest what you would like to see or do in OLS. We are open to your ideas, so don’t be shy!
The three forums you’re welcome to join are:
1. Ask the Community
In the ATC forum, you can ask questions related to the platform or bring any issues to the community you would like help with. We’ve resolved technical issues, how to find certificates and many others. Feel free to ask a question today.
2. Living Abroad
Here, you can share your tips, experience or questions regarding living abroad. Some users have already used the forum to find out who else is also in the same city. It’s a great forum for meeting up with others and also getting tiips and advice about your new host country or city. Sometimes YOU can be the person giving advice to someone who is going to your home country for their mobility program. Do you want to talk about your hometown? Go to Living Abroad now to start a conversation.
3. Practice Your English
In PYE, the topics vary widely to encourage you to practice English with a variety of topics. Some themes are directly related to some of the lessons while others are related to grammar. We even have a discussion where you can talk about your favorite music. If you want to improve your business and professional English, we have a series just for that too! Go to PYE now to join or start a conversation.
E. IN-PERSON EVENTS & ONLINE HANGOUTS/WEBINARS
In the English community, we promote in-person activities where
you can socialize while practicing your English in real-time.
We also participate in Webinars hosted by agencies such as Erasmus Student Network or the European Commission. In the future, we will have OLS hangouts online where we can have informal meetups just to chat. If you have ideas about topics you want to discuss or events you’d like to see, feel free to share them in the forum.
Now that you have an idea of what’s available to you, jump right in and join the fun. :D
I look forward to seeing how we will grow together!
Iya,
OLS Community Manager – English