Preparing the Learning Agreement

The Learning Agreement (LA) approval process takes place in several steps.

1. SUBMISSION of the LA by the student. Once you have created your Learning Agreement on AlmaRM, you will be able to:

• Save provisionally the Learning Agreement in order to edit it later on (“Salva provvisiorio”);
• Save and submit your LA so it will be automatically forwarded to your Supervising Professor for validation (“Presenta il Learning Agreement”);
• Delete and not save the file (“annulla”).

The validation and approval procedures for the Learning Agreement are handled online through the AlmaRM portal. You do not need to send the documents independently to the professors.

2. VALIDATION by your Exchange Supervising Professor. The Professor can validate it or send it back for modifications. Requests for changes may also come from the DISTAL International Mobility Office, which performs a preliminary check.

3. APPROVAL by the relevant Degree Programme Coordinator; the Professor can approve the LA or request for some changes

4. NOTIFICATION of the approval/rejection on your UniBO e-mail account (@studio.unibo.it)

Approval of the LA automatically sends it to the host university if it participates in the Erasmus Without Papers programme. Otherwise, you will need to send it yourself and request the host university’s signature according to their instructions and UniBO student’s guide.

5. Before the start of your mobility period you will have to fill and sign the Mobility Agreement. The mobility agreement regulates the main rights/duties of Erasmus+ students during the mobility period. You will be asked to provide your bank account details (you must be the holder or co-holder), which we will use to deliver the scholarship. Upload just one pdf file (max 2 Mb) consisting of a completed and signed “Mobility Agreement” to your AlmaRM homepage. Please, be aware you must upload all the pages of your mobility agreement!

This procedure is detailed in the guide for students who have won the mobility call, available on the UniBO website.

6. Once you arrive abroad, you can download the Certificate of Attendance from AlmaRM, enter the arrival date, have it signed by the host University and upload it again on AlmaRM. The “Certificate of Attendance” is a document that has to be filled both at arrival and departure, to verify the period of stay in order to start the payment procedure. You will have to reupload it at the end of your mobility with the correct data of your leaving.

7. In case of modifications to the Learning Agreement during your stay abroad, you must obtain approval again from both UniBO and the host university; without this approval you will not be able to download the “Certificate of Attandance” (Certificato di Periodo).

8. At the end of the mobility, upload in your AlmaRM again the “Certificate of Attendance” with the correct data of your leaving.

9. Upload the Transcript of Records (ToR); this is the document that certifies the grades of the exams you attend abroad. This document will be released by the Host University at your departure or a couple of weeks later.

10. Fill on your AlmaRM page the Request of Recognition (Richiesta di Riconoscimento - RR), you will have to specify if you have passed the activities at the Host University (entering your grades and the exam dates as indicated in the ToR). It is important to indicate if you want recognition of the activity on your UniBO Study Plan. Please note that only the “si, da riconoscere” (to be recognized) activities will be recognized in your study plan, so it is important to carefully check the RR before you submit it.

11. VALIDATION of the Request of Recognition by your Supervising Professor for the exchange. The professor will convert your abroad grades with our system by using the ECTS tables and grading scale (you must not do this yourself).

12. APPROVAL by the relevant Degree Programme Coordinator of the Request of Recognition, followed up by the update of your academic career by the Student Administration Office.

Log in on StudentiOnline and select the AlmaRM section, by entering in your exchange area, you will find some sections to complete; among these, identify the one related to the Learning Agreement. Depending on your plans abroad, you can select the type of activity you intend to carry out.

• “Studio” (study) if you want to attend lessons, perform internship and/or prepare your thesis abroad and you need the recognition of CFUs. This option is mandatory as it allows you to create correspondence groups (essential for final recognition). You need to add as many groups as the activities you will attend abroad. See the section: How to create correspondence groups “Gruppi di corrispondenza”.
• “Tesi” (thesis) if you want to carry out activities related to the Preparation of your thesis; previously agreed with the host university. A field will appear where you must indicate the title or topic of your thesis agreed with your University of Bologna thesis Supervisor. This option must be selected if you carry out thesis preparation through Erasmus+ Study or the “Thesis Abroad” Call; the code to be included in your study plan is 81355.
• “Tirocini” (internships) if you want to do an internship, previously agreed with the Host University. It is better to add to the Learning Agreement (Erasmus+ Study) the internship activities when you will arrive at the Host University and you are sure the you will be able to carry out the internship. On your LA you have to indicate the “INTERNSHIP” activity with the correspondent code you can find on your study plan.

In your LA on AlmaRM, “Gruppi di corrispondenza” are groups of learning activities that must have consistency in both content and credits between the left column (activities carried out abroad) and the right column (activities to be recognized in your study plan). Credit differences within the same subject area must be minimized.

Before submitting the LA, contact the UniBO Professor responsible for the course to be recognized and send them the syllabus of the foreign course so they can assess its consistency and possibly request a small supplementary exam if credits do not match.

Indicate in the “Notes” field for which exam and for how many CFU the integration is required.

The correspondence groups are structured as follows:

• Left column: “Attività estere”. Include the activities you plan to take abroad, the full title in the original language and the number of ECTS
• Right column: “Attività da riconoscere”. Include the activities you want to be recognized upon return. These activities will be recognized at the end of your mobility only if you have passed the final exam of the corresponding foreign course.

REMEMBER: 1 ECTS is equal to 1 CFU and is the English acronym for university educational credits (Crediti Formativi Universitari), so both refer to university educational credits.

Check Example 1 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

It is not always possible to find exact correspondences between the total of foreign credits (ECTS) and the total of the UniBO credits (CFU) within the same subject group.

If the foreign activities have a number of credits lower than the UniBO credits (CFU), it is possible to identify more than one foreign activity in the same field, creating a specific correspondence group.

Check Example 2 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

If there is a difference in credits, you should ask to your UniBO Professor if he can evaluate the content of the foreign activities and get you a supplement exam when your mobility end. This decision has to be insert in the "Note" section of the Learning Agreement.

Check Example 3 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

If the foreign activities have a higher number of credits than the UniBO credits (CFU), it is possible to create a correspondence group by associating an activity abroad with more activities in the same field from your study plan.

Check Example 4 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

You can include educational activities (both mandatory and optional courses) that you have not taken and passed yet, therefore not only the courses relating to the A.Y. in which you will carry out the experience abroad, but also those of previous year, if not yet passed, or the following year.

You can include educational activities only if you intend to insert them in your study plan by the dead line of submission and before the end of your mobility abroad. Check the page “Preparing the study plan” where you can find all the information you need about how to create your Study Plan and the submission period.

Remember that Optional courses - Attività formative a libera scelta dello studente can be insert in your Learning Agreement in two different ways:

Option 1) by indicating the corresponding elective course in the same way as a “regular” course (see previous section). Remember that the UniBO elective course must be included in your online study plan before the end of your mobility period. Check the page “Preparing the study plan”.

Option 2) indicating the number of credits and the Subject Group (SSD) in the correspondent “Se vuoi che siano riconosciuti dei crediti a scelta” at the bottom of the right column “Attività da riconoscere”.

Check Example 5 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

For Optional courses only, it is not mandatory to find a correspondence with courses offered by the University of Bologna; you can indicate only the correspondent Subject Group (SSD). The SSD is a code composed of letters and numbers (e.g. AGRI-01/A). You can find the description of SSDs in the file “List of Subject Group - SSD” attached to this webpage.

You must always complete your study plan with Optional courses – “Attività formative a libera scelta dello studente” that you would intend to take in Italy, in case you are unable to complete all the exams included in the LA.

This is a precaution that does not oblige you to take those exams upon your return in Italy (if you have already obtained the minimum number of elective credits abroad), but it is useful in case you do not pass or take the foreign exams and still need to reach the credits required for graduation.

Upon your return to Italy, you will only need to complete the credits necessary to reach the total required for graduation: 180 CFU (for Bachelor’s Degrees) or 120 CFU (for Master’s Degrees), including the final exam. Any extra Optional courses – “Attività formative a libera scelta dello studente” not completed will be removed during the final check of requirements after you submit your graduation application.

All the information on the deadlines and how to complete the UniBO study plan are on the website page “Preparing the study plan”.

SPECIAL CASES

“Language courses abroad”

If you want to attend a language course abroad and request its recognition, you can include it following the instructions for the Optional courses case, selecting the appropriate SSD among foreign languages. Language credits included in the LA this way can only count as Optional courses and cannot be recognized as “Language Test - Idoneità Linguistica”.

Check Example 6 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

If you want the course to be recognized as “Language Test - Idoneità Linguistica”, do not include it in your LA; instead, contact CLA to check if it can be recognized.

“Internship”

Within Erasmus+ Study framework, it is exceptionally possible to include an internship among the activities abroad. If you intend to carry out an internship, it must first be agreed with the host institution. Activities can ONLY take place at the host university or its affiliated University centers. It is recommended to add the internship once you are already at the host institution and certain of the possibility to carry it out. In the LA, you must include the activity “INTERNSHIP” with the corresponding code from your study plan.

Check Example 7 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

Codes to be used for curricular Internship:

• for Bachelor’s Degrees with compulsory internship: code 15349, same code also for BTA
• for PROGESA: code 90135 TIROCINIO – A SCELTA STUDENTE,
• for STAG: code 27090 TIROCINIO LM
• for PASA: code 96811 INTERNSHIP
• for IMAHS: code 20725 INTERNSHIP

Curricular internships can also be carried out by Erasmus+ Traineeship students, but the Learning Agreement is different, it is called Training Agreement (TA); check Example 8 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”.

Please note: If you carry out Erasmus+ Traineeship mobility as a graduate, you do not obtain CFU; follow the instructions in the student guide.

“Thesis”

Within Erasmus+ Study framework, it is exceptionally possible to include thesis preparation among the activities abroad. This must first be agreed with the host institution and can ONLY take place at the host university or affiliated University centres. It is recommended to add the activity once you are already abroad or certain of the possibility to carry it out, provided it is agreed with the host university. Remember to select the “Tesi” option in the general section of the Learning Agreement; this will allow you to indicate the title or topic agreed with your UniBO thesis Supervisor. In the LA you must include the activity: “81355 FINAL EXAM PREPARATION ABROAD”, which must also be included in your study plan. Check Example 9 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

If you are an Erasmus+ Traineeship student and want to carry out thesis work, you must include in the Training Agreement the activity called “Internship Abroad for Preparation of the Final Examination”:

• for PASA: code 82462
• for all other Degree programmes: code 81354

Check Example 10 in the attachment “Learning Agreement Example”

If you are a Thesis Abroad Call winner winner and intend to carry out Thesis Preparation activities, previously agreed with the host institution, remember to select both “Studio” and “Tesi” in the general section of the LA; a field will then appear where you are required to indicate the title or topic topic agreed with your UniBO thesis Supervisor. Only in this way will you be able to create the “Gruppo di corrispondenza”, which is necessary for recognition of thesis credits. In the LA you must include the activity: “81355 FINAL EXAM PREPARATION ABROAD”, which must also be included in your study plan. Check Example 11 in the attachment “Learning Agreement example”

It can happen that the student needs to modify his previously approved courses due to timetable reasons, modifications to the educational offer or simply because there is a course of greater interest. In those cases, it is possible to modify your Learning Agreement, previously approved by Host University, up to maximum two times following the same approval procedure as you can find above (go to the previous sections). You will be notified of the approval or rejection of the new Learning Agreement on your UniBO e-mail account (@studio.unibo.it).

If, during the mobility period, you need to return to Italy and end your mobility early, follow the instructions in the guide for mobility winners. For doubts, contact the International Relations Office Bologna – Settore Accordi e mobilità Erasmus+ “UE” by email at (erasmus@unibo.it).

If you return from your mobility early and wish to end it in advance without having obtained any CFU, this is considered a withdrawal. This must be formally submitted by you through the AlmaRM system.

At the end of the mobility, the Host University will send to you a certificate of the educational activities carried out, called Transcript of Records (ToR); it will be release at your departure or a couple of weeks later by the relevant offices. Always check that your personal data and evaluations of the foreign activities are correct. The ToR contains the list of foreign activities with grades in the ECTS scale (or foreign system); an addendum with the corresponding ECTS grades is usually included in the document.

After uploading the ToR to your AlmaRM profile, you can prepare the Request of Recognition (RR) by following the instructions published on the AlmaRM website, entering the grades in the ECTS scale (or foreign system). The system will automatically load in the Request of Recognition (RR) the activities previously approved in your Learning Agreement, and you will have to specify if you have taken and passed the activities at the Host Institution. It is important indicate if you want the recognition on your UniBO Study Plan. Only the “si, da riconoscere” activities will be recognized in your study plan, so it is important to carefully check the RR before you submit it. Check the attachment “Request of Recognition Example”

The conversion of grades into the Italian scale (out of 30) is carried out by the UniBO Exchange Responsible Professor; do NOT do it yourself.

You can consult the official ECTS grading table adopted by the University of Bologna for your subject area on the dedicated university webpage [ECTS Grading Tables — University of Bologna]. Based on this table, the professor responsible for the exchange will convert your grades.

The RR must receive a double approval; the first from the UniBO Exchange Responsible Professor and then from the Degree Programme Coordinator, as for the LA approval procedure. Once approved, the Student Administration Office will update your academic record. Recognized exams will appear in your online study plan marked as SO (“substituted”).

If you do not obtain recognition for at least one educational activity (exam, internship or thesis), your scholarship may be revoked and you may be required to repay the amount received.

SPECIAL CASES

“Thesis and/or internship in Erasmus+ Study”

Within Erasmus+ Study, it is exceptionally possible to carry out internship and/or thesis preparation activities. At the end of the mobility, these kinds of activities are usually NOT included in the ToR. To obtain recognition, you must request a letter (one per activity) on official letterhead from the host university, prepare and signed by the foreign supervising professor, including:

• Start and end dates
• Detailed description of activities
• Overall evaluation of your performance

You must merge this letter/s with the ToR into a single PDF and upload it in the appropriate section when submitting the Request of Recognition.

“Curricular internship or Thesis internship in Erasmus+ Traineeship”

Students who have won the Erasmus+ Traineeship call and have carried out a curricular internship or an internship for thesis preparation abroad must ask the foreign supervisor to complete, sign and stamp part II of the certificate of dates and the certificate of work. After uploading the documents, you can submit the Request for Recognition by indicating the number of hours and selecting “SI” in the “Attività da riconoscere” section.

Please note: If you carry out Erasmus+ Traineeship mobility as a recent graduate, you do not obtain CFU and therefore do not need to submit a Request for Recognition, you only need to ask the foreign supervisor to complete the above-mentioned documents so you can upload them in AlmaRM.

“Thesis preparation in Thesis Abroad Call”

Within the “Thesis Aroad” call, during the nomination process, you will receive a word document called “ALLEGATO D – Relazione finale”. This document, filled by you, replaces the ToR and must be uploaded on AlmaRM at the end of your mobility as a PDF. Without this document, thesis preparation cannot be recorded in your academic career.

After uploading the properly completed “Allegato D”, you can submit the RR; remember to follow these instructions:

• Column “Attività estere”:
  • Select “si, da riconoscere” from the drop-down menu
  • Enter “ID” (idoneità/pass) in the grade section
  • Enter the end date of your mobility in the date section
• Column “Attività da riconoscere”:
  • Select “SI”