What's in it for me?
The planned changes to the academic calendar and the simplification of the examination system will affect many people at ETH Zurich in different ways.
Advantages
ETH Zurich is revising its academic calendar for the autumn semester of 2027 as part of the PAKETH project.
PAKETH will bring many advantages for you as a student:
- You will have the opportunity to organise the summer more freely. The exam period will be completed in July.
- The student workload will be more focussed and will be better distributed through PAKETH. End-of-semester examinations will be replaced by final exams during the new exam period, and annual courses will be abolished.
- Examination blocks in their previous form will no longer exist. For some course units, it will still be possible to compensate for the grade average with other course units.
- The abolition of examination blocks will give you more flexibility in organising your studies.
New regulations
In this context, all existing study regulations (Bachelor's and Master's level) will be revised and will come into effect from the 2027 autumn semester. There will be no transitional years; the change will take place for all students at the same time. This change will be designed in such a way that all academic achievements to date will be credited . Particular care will be taken to ensure that you, as students, do not suffer any disadvantages as a result.
You will be regularly informed about PAKETH via e-mail, at events and on the web.
From students for students
The umbrella organisation for students (VSETH) was involved in the development of the PAKETH concept. The VSETH is also consulted on implementation issues and continues to support the introduction of PAKETH.
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Prospective students:
Current students:
Lecturers and assistants play a central role in the implementation of PAKETH. Their teaching and the examination system are affected by the structural changes brought about by PAKETH in many ways.
- Redesign of the academic calendar: The academic year will consist of two semesters of practically equal length, with the same examination preparation time and examination period. In the summer, there will be a lecture-free phase, as is the case at other universities. There will be one lecture-free week in each semester.
- Linking course units and assessments: Assessments are taken either as part of the course unit or soon after. Enrolment in the course unit is equivalent to registering for the assessment. Annual courses are no longer used.
- Optimising teaching and workload planning: Careful workload planning at the course and curriculum levels should ensure that the student workload remains manageable and that students are able to meet the high quality standards required by ETH, even with the new calendar. This also requires an optimisation of the teaching content as well as greater coordination with other lecturers with regard to the content taught and the intended performance assessments (type, timing, deadlines).
Advantages
At the same time, a number of adjustments and changes will also result in a number of advantages for lecturers and assistants:
- Opportunity for more meaningful interaction with students as a result of continuous processing of material by students during the semester.
- By incorporating the strengths of the previous bonus system (performance elements) into a fully-fledged category of performance assessments (=integrated performance assessments), new, learning-oriented possibilities for designing performance assessments are created.
- Examination dates that are known early (at the beginning of the semester) allow lecturers to plan better. A possible change of mode (written/oral) for repetition exams, which is still to be decided upon, reduces the workload for exams.
- Simplified processes around the performance assessments, including no more grade conferences, also create more free capacity.
- A period from mid-July to mid-September is created, which is mostly free of teaching and examination obligations.
The Unit for Teaching and Learning (UTL) is creating new offers and adapting existing ones to provide lecturers with the earliest possible support in questions of (workload-sensitive) course design or course optimisation, as well as in the design of suitable performance assessments.
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Further information
Preparing the implementation together
On 29 August 2024, the Executive Board decided to introduce PAKETH for the 2027/28 academic year. In doing so, it takes note of the results of the consultation process and instructs the Rector to revise the concept, involving the departments and university groups, and to clarify the outstanding points. Furthermore, the Executive Board is allocating financial resources, which, together with funds from the Rector, are intended to support the departments in implementing PAKETH and to strengthen the central bodies.
PAKETH is an extensive project that directly affects most people at ETH Zurich. During the three years leading up to the introduction of PAKETH 2027, preparations will be made for its implementation.
The PAKETH project team plans to proactively approach all departments in autumn 2024 to discuss the steps for a successful implementation. Our goal is to support the departments in creating a project plan for each degree programme by the end of 2024. As a first step, the PAKETH project team will inform all PAKETH contact persons in the departments about the next steps in mid-September.
In order to keep communication with prospective and current students as consistent as possible, there will be a separate communication concept until the end of 2024. The project team supports the degree pro-grammes in their communication with prospective and current students.
New study regulations and ordinance
The necessary legal bases will also be adapted. The project team is developing templates for the new study regulations for the degree programmes and will also create the transition matrices together with them. The revision of the Performance Assessment Ordinance (VLK) will also be very important. As this is an ordinance on federal government level, it will undergo a full consultation within ETH before it goes to the federal authorities for their own consultation round.
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PAKETH is new for all. Its introduction requires a great deal of effort in the departments as well as in the central bodies. In order for all ETH staff and students to be able to support each other in the best possible way, an open and receptive exchange with each other is required, as well as the will to advance education at ETH Zurich together.The PAKETH project team is happy to receive feedback and answer questions by email, phone call or in a personal meeting.
Further information
On 29 August 2024, the Executive Board made the decision to introduce PAKETH for the 2027/28 academic year. This means that the reformed teaching system and the new academic calendar will be implemented in the fall semester of 2027 and all students will be transferred to the new study regulations on this date. There will be no transition phase.
Preparing the implementation together
The introduction of PAKETH requires a review and adjustment of current administrative and operational processes. This process will be coordinated centrally by the PAKETH project team in close cooperation with the central bodies and the Digital Campus project management. Responsibility for the review and necessary adjustments, however, lies with the responsible administrative and operational units. The PAKETH project team will approach all units by the end of 2024 to discuss the steps required for successful implementation and develop an overarching plan. The aim is to support the departments in identifying the processes that will be affected by PAKETH and then to support them in adapting and implementing them.
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