Blended mobility: reshaping our European collaboration

What does “blended mobility” mean?

The notion of “blended mobility” refers to the possibility of combining periods of learning mobility in another country with learning activities taking place synchronously with peers in a virtual environment. These online activities can be organised prior to or after the physical mobility activities.

Why is it important to think about online and on-site activities in the same project?

Technological innovations have created the possibility of learning successfully from a distance. The potential benefits in the area of education and training are, however, still largely unexplored and unexploited. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly pushed forward the need for and the use of mixed (online and on-site) learning settings. This new reality thus brings added value to European education projects. 

Is this just a temporary measure?

One of the overarching priorities of the new generation of the Erasmus+ programme is the digital transformation of education and training. The measures supporting blended mobility will be available throughout the whole programming period, while evidence-based analysis of the activities will support their future development.

How difficult is blended mobility? Will we need extra resources?

In order to bring benefit to the participants, blended mobility requires an appropriate level of planning. Schools, however, should not see blended mobility as imposing an additional workload but more as enriching the learning mobility period.

See here for ideas on how to combine on-site and online activities within a mobility project.

In which ways will the Erasmus programme support blended mobility?

All mobility activities can be organised as blended mobility. The organisation of the virtual part of blended mobility activities will be covered by the standard organisational support of awarded Erasmus+ projects. Further developments with the funding may be introduced on the basis of targeted studies.