In this blog we offer you a concrete example of the difference between learning needs, goals, outcomes, activities and impact as it is used in all Erasmus+ mobility projects.

Drafting Erasmus+ KA1 mobility project might cause some difficulties in understanding terminology used by Erasmus+ programme guide. The same terminology as in Erasmus+ programme guide should be used by applicant in their application form.
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We explained the terminology and ideas for drafting arguments in different other blogs on our webpage www.erasmusbyprimerasupport.com. In this blog we only use a concrete example to explain the difference.

One of the biggest mistake you can do when writing Erasmus+ mobility project is that you choose your course by location. Imagine yourself as an evaluator reading KA1 application with courses at the most prominent touristic spots across Europe. It is hard not to think that the main goal of the application is to get funds for participants' touristic aspirations.

Evaluators will give you high points, if your selection of courses will reflect actual needs of your school aligned with the Erasmus+ programme priorities.

Yesterday I received a question in my inbox: Blanka, thank you for your e-book. Do you have a winning idea for the next KA1 deadline?

The winning idea has roots in your school needs. Always! However, it is important to communicate your idea in the KA1 application form using Erasmus+ language. In the process of writing your application see:
1. Erasmus+ programme priorities and
2. national priorities of your national agency.

Then think, how can you present your idea through the lens of those priorities.

Here are the 2020 Erasmus+ priorities for school education (from 2020 annual work programme, p. 43):

• Reinforcing the development of key competences: cross-curricular collaboration, creativity and innovative learning approaches and environments, cooperating with stakeholders in local communities and abroad, supporting teachers in delivering competence based teaching and developing assessment and validation of key competences.
• Strengthening the profile of the teaching professions, including teachers, school leaders and teacher educators, for example by: making careers more attractive and diverse; strengthening selection, recruitment and evaluations (models of staff appraisal, assessment and feedback); enhancing teachers’ initial education and continuous professional development and linking its different phases; facilitating and significantly increasing teacher mobility, including by overcoming remaining obstacles; supporting teachers in developing innovative teaching and assessment methods, especially to promote competence-oriented teaching and learning; strengthening leadership in education, including distributed leadership and teacher leadership.
• Promoting a comprehensive approach to language teaching and learning, building on the increasing linguistic diversity in schools, for example by: encouraging early language learning and awareness; developing bilingual teaching options, especially for border regions and/or in areas where inhabitants use more than one language; mainstreaming the use of new technologies to support language learning; supporting the integration of the language dimension across the curricula; focusing on reaching adequate competence levels by the end of compulsory education; promoting the creation of language aware schools.
• Increasing the levels of achievement and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM): promoting effective and innovative pedagogies and assessment; promoting the STE(A)M approach to education through interdisciplinary teaching of STEM in cultural, environmental, economic, design and other contexts, with the involvement of all academic disciplines. 
• Tackling early school leaving and disadvantage, enabling success for all learners, including children with a migrant background: strengthening collaboration among all actors within schools, as well as with families, and other external stakeholders; improving transitions between different stages of education; fostering preventive and early intervention approaches; supporting networking of schools which promote collaborative and holistic approaches to teaching and learning; improving evaluation and quality assurance. 
• Developing high quality early childhood education and care systems: supporting initial and continuing professional development of all staff involved in organising, leading and providing early childhood education and care.
• Building capacity for promoting and facilitating recognition of learning periods abroad. 
• Developing strong quality assurance systems to achieve high-quality inclusive education. 

Brexit is expected to lead to many changes for Erasmus+. However, the outcome of the ongoing negotiations between the EU and the UK is not yet known. People keep asking us whether they can include mobilities to United Kingdom into their KA1 application.

​Success does not just happen. It is planned for. And it is the same with Erasmus+ mobility projects. Preparation of participants is one such key to success. In the application process your task is to convince evaluators that you will take care for your participants and not just leave things to go with the flow. Here are a few ideas for a systematic preparation that you can offer to your participants. Preparation covers several areas and is task-related, intercultural, linguistic, and risk-prevention.

​Your project has to be relevant to the objectives of the Erasmus+ programme. Description of your project will be relevant if it reflects the following objectives in the field of education and training:

• improve the level of key competences and skills, with particular regard to their relevance for the labour market and their contribution to a cohesive society, in particular through increased opportunities for learning mobility and through strengthened cooperation between the world of education and training and the world of work;
• foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training institutions, in particular through enhanced transnational cooperation between education and training providers and other stakeholders;
• promote the emergence and raise awareness of a European lifelong learning area designed to complement policy reforms at national level and to support the modernisation of education and training systems, in particular through enhanced policy cooperation, better use of EU transparency and recognition tools and the dissemination of good practices;
• enhance the international dimension of education and training, in particular through cooperation between Programme and Partner Partner-Country institutions in the field of VET and in higher education, by increasing the attractiveness of European higher education institutions and supporting the EU's external action, including its development objectives, through the promotion of mobility and cooperation between Programme and Partner Partner-Country higher education institutions and targeted capacity building in Partner Countries;
• improve the teaching and learning of languages and promote the EU's broad linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness.

Besides the objectives above always check the priorities of your national agency. National agencies have the right to set country specific priorities that might be important in your context.

Align your objectives of your mobility project with the objectives of the Erasmus+ programme and priorities of your national agency. State clearly where the alignment lies and do not let evaluators to look for alignment because they do not know the project as well as you do and also, they do not have the necessary time for that.
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Aligning objectives of your mobility project with the objectives of the Erasmus+ programme includes arguments about the outcomes. Show in your application form how your mobility delivers the learning outcomes below.