We need to enable our students to cope with rapid change

Günther Dissertori, why was a vision for teaching needed?
Günther Dissertori: We are living in times of accelerated change: both technologies and the underlying conditions are developing rapidly. We need to ask ourselves what constitutes quality in teaching. The vision is a compass for long-term strategic discussions and decisions such as those concerning teaching infrastructure and teaching staff. The most pressing issue we are facing is how to continue offering high-quality teaching with stagnating resources.

What will it come down to in the future?
Dissertori: Students need to be able to cope with the uncertainties brought by rapid change and to have tools at hand for solving problems that today are still unknown. In addition to specialist knowledge, they will therefore also require social and personal skills, resilience in dealing with failures and flexibility.

How can these be imparted?
Dissertori: By means of project and problem-oriented learning in teams, for example. There are already many good examples of this today. Students practice dealing with the unknown and very soon learn how to apply their knowledge and where there are gaps. This type of learning fosters a deeper understanding of the principles and tools of their discipline and makes students agile in the way they handle knowledge. And society expects us to train people to reflect on, apply and share their knowledge.

Project-based teaching is costly. But does this not conflict with the fact that we are having to manage with fewer resources?
Dissertori: It’s true that it generally costs more to coach students in projects than to give a lecture. However, our vision is for teaching staff to use their time with students in a very targeted manner and to ensure that knowledge is preferably put into context and not merely imparted during this time. The time is to be used for dialogue and discussions with the students.

Is there not the risk here that the specialist foundations will fall by the wayside?
Dissertori: Certainly not. Methodical, social and personal skills lose their impact without solid specialist foundations. However, I firmly believe that knowledge transfer per se will in future become more digital and individual, whatever form it takes. Students will become more independent in this area. And last but not least, PAKETH offers the basis to ensure that students have sufficient scope and time for this.

The rapid change mentioned before will also have consequences for teaching. How can we best prepare ourselves for this?
Dissertori: Degree programmes and their curricula need to be capable of developing faster and with less administrative outlay. This is a core objective of the PAKETH reform project which will create the foundation for this. The structure of teaching will probably also become more flexible. The traditional sequence Bachelor’s-Master’s-start of professional career or doctorate will be watered down.  Students may wish to gain professional experience at an earlier stage or need to brush up their knowledge more quickly after graduating.

What role will the campus play in the future?
Dissertori: It will be indispensable for several reasons. For example, for our research-oriented teaching when students work in laboratories. But also if students are to learn together in projects. They can only encounter unknown perspectives, ideas and scientific cultures through dialogue with others. And apart from that, learning together is simply more enjoyable. Knowledge acquisition is more sustainable and better ideas are developed. It is also difficult without a campus to integrate new students into a scientific community, something that became painfully apparent during the pandemic. The campus is not least extremely important for dialogue with society and offers the space for this to take place. By way of example, our continuing education programmes serve as an ideal hub between science and industry.

Finally: what ought not to change?
Dissertori: As we will remain a university, teaching and research should stay very close to each other, so we will continue to uphold Humboldt’s principle. ETH must also retain its top ranking internationally in future and thus remain an attractive place of learning for the best students. This will continue to call not only for the best experts in their discipline but also an excellent teaching infrastructure and a well-functioning student advisory service and administration.