“We need to take action”

Now that we are about one month into the Autumn Semester, it’s time to take stock of the situation. Did the semester get off to a good start? Where do we stand now? And how are we going to face the challenges of the next two months?

“The Autumn Semester got off to a quiet start,” says Rector Sarah Springman when asked about the first four weeks. “The buildings weren't as lively as we expected.” The strategy of holding large courses online and having in-person teaching for select advanced courses seems to be working. “So far we haven't heard any negative reactions, from teaching staff or from students,” says Springman. Many lecturers regret having to teach so many courses via distance learning, however.

The idea of assigning incoming first-year students to “bubbles” – to facilitate student interaction and limit the spread of the coronavirus – also seems to have worked. “Students connected with peers in their bubbles in no time at all,” says Springman. She points out that students’ social networks play a significant role in their academic success, which was the idea behind the concept. Some departments have also adopted the idea of bubbles for use with their students.

There was a tremendous amount of groundwork done to prepare for a smooth semester on the part of Academic Services, IT Services, the academic departments and staff from other areas like Educational Development and Technology. “Integrating the new Autumn Semester concept into the existing system was a tremendous accomplishment that required a lot of night shifts to pull off,” says Springman. “To everyone involved: I can't thank you enough for your efforts.” And their efforts have paid off: since the first day of the semester, the entire student body has been equipped with their schedules and has known exactly when and where their lectures take place. “Given the current situation, this isn't something we can take for granted,” says Springman.

She hopes that ETH Zurich can finish out the semester with the current safety concept in place but cautions everyone to remain vigilant, as COVID-19 infections are currently on the rise. In Springman's view, lectures pose less of a risk than the places where students congregate to eat and study. “I keep passing by student workplaces where people are sitting too close to each other, and I have to remind them to keep the personal distance rules in mind,” she says. Various academic departments have also reported that many students are lax when it comes to physical distancing. “We need to take action here,” she says.

As a first measure, ETH increased the number of student workplaces: 50 new spaces have been available in the hall of the Main Building for some time now, and 250 additional spaces were unveiled on the Zentrum and Hönggerberg campuses at the beginning of the week. Students can also use empty auditoriums as study spaces as well as canteens outside of opening hours. An overview of all available workplaces for students can be found here.

Springman also encourages everyone to use the SwissCovid contact tracing app. With COVID-19 cases in the canton of Zurich rapidly rising, ETH will also be home to more and more infections. “For contact tracing to work, it's essential that students alert immediately if they think they might have contracted COVID-19 or if they've tested positive,” explains Springman. (Note: ETH employees should inform their line managers.)

Springman and the rest of the Executive Board urge the ETH Zurich community to start using the SwissCovid app without delay. Without the help of the app, it will be almost impossible to trace back everyone a person has come into contact with over the preceding days. “If we want to finish out the Autumn Semester as smoothly as it began, we're going to need everyone to do their part to contain the spread of the virus,” says Springman. “We also owe it to everyone who worked extra shifts to make classroom teaching possible this semester.”

Related articles

"Face masks and physical distancing are key” (Internal news, 28.08.2020)

"We are aiming for an optimal mix of classroom and online teaching" (ETH News, 18.06.2020)

The value of friendships in academic success (ETH News, 10.01.2019)