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Explore the Open Learning Environment
Build new skills and enhance your personal and professional development through our Open Learning Environment (OLE).
The Open Learning Environment (OLE) is a collection of units that offers you the opportunity to extend your skills and knowledge by exploring other fields of study. You can learn about a diverse range of topics such as global cultures, entrepreneurial thinking, coding, ethics, design thinking, and project management.
Units in the OLE are either two or six credit points. There are also units designed specifically for HDR students.
Move to satisfied requirements/failed requirements
From Semester 1, 2025 all Open Learning Environment units will be marked as satisfied requirements/failed requirements (SR/FR). As a result, any OLE unit taken from Semester 1, 2025 onwards will not be used in the calculation of your Weighted Average Mark (WAM). OLE units taken prior to Semester 1, 2025 will continue to be used in the calculation of your WAM. This applies to all students, regardless of your commencement date.
The change is in response to the systematically higher marks in OLE units of study compared to other units. The pass/fail model is better suited to the original intention of the OLE – allowing students to extend and develop novel skill combinations – and is used in many other parts of our curriculum for topics where skills and competencies are the primary drivers of learning.
Access the OLE
Depending on your course, you may need to take a specified number of credit points of OLE units to meet your degree requirements. This will be outlined in your handbook.
Available OLE units are listed in Table O in the Interdisciplinary Studies Handbook.
You'll need to enrol in these units through Sydney Student during the enrolment period for your course.
In-Country Experience OLE units
If you find your handbook requires you to complete OLE units, you may choose to complete one of the School of Languages and Cultures’ In-Country Experiences.
Read important information on the application process, departmental permission, and additional fees associated with these units.
You’ll need to apply for these units through the Global Mobility Database once applications open each semester.
Last updated: 16 January 2025
