P A K E T H - For Future-Ready Teaching and Learning
PAKETH is the reform of ETH's academic calendar and examination system that will take effect from Autumn Semester 2028. PAKETH is a project of the entire ETH and offers degree programmes and lecturers a concrete opportunity to further develop their teaching: Towards ETH’s Vision for Teaching and towards future-ready teaching and learning. Together with the Digital Campus project, PAKETH provides the administrative and structural fundamentals for this change.
Here you will find support and opportunities to participate in the realisation of PAKETH.
What is PAKETH?
General information, background information and experience reports can be found on the Context and Frequently asked questions pages.
The pages on Studying, Degree Programmes, Teaching and Administration and Operations offer specific information and services for the respective groups and topics addressed.
Current status of the project
PAKETH continues to evolve – step by step and in collaboration with all stakeholders.
In recent months, important decisions have been made: There is a new category for undergraduate degree programmes, the procedures for quality assurance in grading are being further refined, and the 2028 examination session will take place on the usual dates. A particular highlight since the last newsletter was the first-ever on-site check-in for master’s and exchange students.
More details can be found in the subproject reports or in the updated protected page Version 1.4 of the PAKETH Manual, published today.
Thank you very much for your dedicated collaboration – we look forward to continuing to develop PAKETH together with you.
- Older status messages of the project
- Status sub-project Studying
- Status sub-project Degree programmes
- Status sub-project Teaching
- Status sub-project Administration and operation
Relevant Documents in Use
protected page PAKETH Manual Version 1.4- (Updated version 24 September 2026) Concept and implementation guidelines of the Rectorate.
Supporting working documents in the implementation phase:
How to? …Download write a Qualification Profile (PDF, 526 KB).
external page Folder with restricted access*: Factsheets, templates for programme regulations and other working documents for the implementation of PAKETH.
* Authorised: Directors of Studies, study programme coordinators, Educational Developers (LSP), employees in departments, administration and operations, access.
“Degree programmes and their curricula must be able to develop faster and with less administrative effort in a time of accelerated technological and social change. This is a central goal of PAKETH.”Prof Dr Günther Dissertori, Rector of ETH Zurich
Procedure and timelines
The various sub-projects have different priorities in the implementation phase:
PAKETH brings noticeable changes to the everyday student life. The sub-project Studying informs current students and prospective students about the key changes, supports students with various information and advisory services, and coordinates the implementation of the Onboarding Week for new Bachelor's and Master's students.
Find more information on the procedure in the sub-project here.
With PAKETH, the programme regulations will be structurally harmonised and streamlined.
All Bachelor's and Master's degree regulations will be updated for introduction in the Autumn Semester 2027.
Find more information on the procedure in the sub-project here.
PAKETH simplifies regulations, structures and processes and creates lecture-free periods in the academic calendar.
These changes in the academic calendar requires adjustments in teaching and therefore affects all lecturers.
Here you will find suggestions, information and support for the effective organisation of contact and self-study times, integrated performance assessments and the promotion of a continuous learning process during the semester.
Find more information on the procedure in the sub-project here.
Together with Digital Campus, PAKETH provides the administrative and structural fundamentals for ETH to achieve its Vision for Teaching.
The revision of the legal basis and the renewal of academic applications promise to streamline administrative processes and increase adaptability in dealing with the growing number of students.
Find more information on the procedure in the sub-project here.
PAKETH Expertise and Networking
Be inspired and expand your working network at PAKETH-related events:
Listen to PAKETH – Podcast “Inside PAKETH”
Tune in now and gain fresh insights: an overview of all episodes is available on the website.
Discuss PAKETH – Online events “Refresh Teaching”
Regular professional exchange and personal networking at practice-oriented events over the lunch break, offering fresh impulses for teaching – Refresh Teaching.
Discover PAKETH – UTL “Booster Workshops”
The easiest way to get to know PAKETH and adapt it to your own context. Find all UTL workshops for your didactic further education on the Booster website.
Two years until the PAKETH and DC academic support processes reforms take effect may seem like a long time – but the groundwork for a successful transition is being laid now. Starting in the Autumn Semester of 2026, the next phase of implementation communication for PAKETH will begin.
To help guide you, we will be continuously expanding the information and support resources available on our project websites over the coming months. We are creating a central resource for all members of the ETH community: Whether you teach, study, provide administrative support, or hold a leadership position – here you will find clear recommendations for action, contact persons, explanations, practical examples, and experience reports.
Reforms on the scale of PAKETH and DC academic support processes can only succeed through a collective effort. The PAKETH newsletter will help you stay informed and actively shape the change.
We wish you every success in this endeavor.
A glimpse into the Digital Campus Academic Support Processes: System demo video from 1 July 2026 now online – Release 1 is taking shape
What is the current status of the Digital Campus Academic Support Processes project, and what will be included in Release 1?
The System Demo from 1 July showcases the latest progress in the implementation of the new system. Highlights include:
- Current system developments, including the migration and structuring of degree programme and module data, the further development of application processes, and data integration.
- Project-related activities, particularly in the areas of integration architecture, training, documentation, and operations.
- The next steps in the project, including the planned collaboration with and involvement of specialist units during the upcoming project phases.
Learn more in the latest Digital Campus Academic Support Processes video (restricted access). Answers to questions raised during the Q&A session are available on the System Demo website (only in german).
Video: Administration and Operations Info Event from May 26, 2026, now online
The recording of the online info event with the PAKETH core team for Administration and Operations is now available to ETH employees (video in German). Guest in this edition: Hermann Lehner, Overall Project Manager for Digital Campus academic support processes.
Direct access to the recording of the 4th online info event, as well as all videos from info events for Administration and Operations, can be found on the protected page video page (restricted access for ETH employees).
A glimpse into the Digital Campus Academic Support Processes: System demo on 1 July and new website online
The DC Academic Support Processes’s project website has been revamped. In addition to the redesigned project team page, there is now a protected page dedicated section (Link in German) for ETH employees offering easier access to relevant information such as upcoming system demos and the integration of offices.
The next system demo will take place on 1 July. All information on how to participate, as well as a recording of the previous demo, can be found protected page here (Link in German).
Hear PAKETH – New episode of ‘Inside PAKETH’ with Ghislain Fourny, D-INFK
What does it take to truly engage 500 students and embed their knowledge for the long term? In this fifth episode of ‘Inside PAKETH’ (in English), Nora Dittmann Domenichini speaks with Ghislain Fourny, Senior Scientist in the Department of Computer Science and Coordinator of the Master’s degree programme in Data Science at ETH.
Ghislain explains how he makes large lectures interactive and encourages. student participation. He also discusses why he believes this active participation throughout the semester prevents the unsustainable approach of last-minute learning and experiencing stress before the performance assessment. He demonstrates how methods from cognitive science, such as spaced repetition, can be effective even in very large courses.
Listen now and take away some inspiration: an overview of all episodes is available on the website.
Please submit programme regulations and admission appendices in good time
The Education Legislation Team kindly reminds all departments to continue submitting programme regulations (including Master’s programme regulations) and admission appendices. The review process by the Education Legislation team takes some time. Due to the current high volume of incoming requests, processing is taking slightly longer than usual. Thank you for your cooperation.
New section – A glimpse into the Digital Campus Academic Support Processes
In this new section, our colleagues from the DC Academic Support Processes write about the current status of the project (see further down below) – today for the first time with useful information on the future progress of the DC Academic Support Processes.
The DC Academic Support Processes project is on track: Phase 1, ‘Foundations & Concept’, is currently laying the fundamentals for areas such as data, access management and user experience.
The recent system demo (in German) already offered a first concrete insight into the future system. The recording and details of the next demo on 1 July can be found on the Digital Campus protected page website.
Teaching in transition – Voices from five departments in life
Curricula, ECTS structures, teaching methods: PAKETH is taking shape within the departments. The focus is on competencies, module sizes, examination formats – and the question of what is taught and when. “I can’t remember when we last talked so much about teaching at ETH.”
Who might have made this statement? These and other voices from five departments show where decisions are being made and what opportunities are opening up through the joint work on teaching reform.
Read the article in life - the magazine for the ETH community (pages 8 and 9).
Listen to PAKETH – from the world of practice
How do departments actually implement PAKETH? In the ‘Inside PAKETH’ podcast, lecturers and programme coordinators share insights from their work: from competence models and curriculum design to new teaching formats. Concise, precise and closely tied to practical implementation – every episode offers insights that can be put into practice straight away.
Listen now and take away some inspiration: an overview of all episodes is available on the website.
New version of the PAKETH Manual: Version 1.3 of the PAKETH Manual is now available. The following changes have been made (also listed in the version history in the appendix, section 5.4):
- Entire document: Updates to the dates to reflect the new introduction of PAKETH and Digital Campus in the Autumn Semester of 2028.
- Section 3.2.4 – Final exams: In the previous wording, ‘one final examination per module per calendar year’, the addition ‘per calendar year’ has been deleted.
- Section 3.3.6 – Introduction of the new programme regulations: The term ‘equivalence matrix’ has been replaced by the term ‘equivalence table’ throughout the document.
- Section 4.3.1 – Project structure: Adaptation of text and images to the new project structure with three instead of four sub-projects.
The factsheets in the secure external page SharePoint folder containing working documents for ETH staff have also been updated – where necessary – to reflect the planned introduction of PAKETH and Digital Campus in the Autumn Semester of 2028.
New episode of the “Inside PAKETH” podcast: How do you design a curriculum that stays relevant? – with Vera Kapps from D-ARCH and Benno Volk from UTL.
In the fourth episode, we discuss the CURREV curriculum revision and its participatory, competence-oriented approach to curriculum reform.
You can now hear what Vera means when she says “The more people appropriate the curriculum, the more they implement the changes later on” in the podcast “Inside PAKETH”.
In the article of Internal News, Rector Prof. Günther Dissertori explains the reasons for postponing the introduction. He also discusses the reasons behind the decision to give PAKETH, Digital Campus and all those involved more time to ensure quality and security during implementation.
The timetables for Digital Campus and the PAKETH sub-projects are currently undergoing a thorough review. The programme regulations already provide clarity regarding the new timings:
- The programme regulations, including all appendices, will be adopted at the latest at the first department conference (DK) of the 2026 autumn semester (see illustration above).
- This also includes the appendix equivalence table, which provides a summary of the transition.
- A detailed version of the equivalence table only needs to be available in December 2026 – this is used for the automated transfer from the old to the new system.
Communication to students: The communication concept, including schedules, is currently being revised. The website for students has been updated.
- Newsletter sent to students: Thursday, 22 January 2026, in the afternoon.
We will provide further information on the implications of the postponed launch date for Digital Campus and PAKETH in a later edition of the PAKETH newsletter.
The PAKETH team is available to respond to your feedback and support requests via .
Submit Innovedum PAKETH project proposals by 2 March: The timing for funding contributions for innovative pilot projects in teaching remains unchanged. With an Innovedum teaching project PAKETH Edition, you can pilot innovative solutions within degree programmes that are adapted in the context of PAKETH.
The adjusted schedules for Digital Campus and PAKETH may now give you an opportunity to develop an innovative idea into a pilot project in your degree programme.
The Innovedum team looks forward to hearing from you via . Go directly to the project application.
You can find older status updates in past issues of the newsletter in the newsletter archive, and important milestones in the project's history to date on the PAKETH Background page.
We also recommend the video by Rector Günther Dissertori about PAKETH.
If you would like to be kept up to date on how PAKETH is progressing, please enter your e-mail address here.
Contacts and participation
On the contact page you will find all contact persons and the opportunity to enter into dialogue with the PAKETH Team.