Teaching
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.
The Rectorate supports lecturers and teaching assistants with the challenges of adapting teaching to the new academic calendar:
Starting in 2027, the Autumn Semester will include a one-week break without lectures, reducing the available teaching time by one week. The conscious selection of content and the planning of contact and self-study time are central here.
UTL supports you with the following offers:
Booster Workshop „Creating PAKETH-ready course outlines“.
- Good to know: We are also happy to run the workshop in your own department, degree programme or team.
Recommended courses on Didactica:
- "Introduction to Course Design"
- "Maximum impact, minimum time: Balancing active and passive learning in your course"
UTL's course programmes for professors, scientific staff and assistants also provide a wide range of suggestions for this.
Book a consultation appointment for your team via .
Starting with the Spring Semester of 2028, the exam period in the summer will be moved forward to June/July. As in the winter, students now have four weeks to prepare for their examinations.
Active engagement with the learning content and regular feedback help students to continuously process the learning content already during the semester.
Recommended offers from Didactica:
- Classroom assessment techniques.
- Evidence-based teaching practices for content heavy courses
With PAKETH, there will be a new form of performance assessment in the form of "integrated performance assessments". Initial information on this can be found in the PAKETH Manual under the heading "Components of performance assessments".
A working group of lecturers, educational developers and Rectorate staff is currently working on guidelines for these "integrated performance assessments". Initial guidance on this topic is already available in the factsheet "external page Repetition of Performance Assessments".
Recommended booster workshop: "A hands on guide to implementing integrated performance assessment into your course"
24 September 2026
EduTalk: Rethinking Teaching Together
What are you dealing with in your day-to-day teaching? What experiences have you had with current challenges – and what can we learn from one another?
At EduTalk, instructors and instructional designers from all ETH departments come together for a collegial exchange on teaching and learning. In small groups, conversations, insights, and new perspectives emerge – across disciplines and closely tied to real-world practice.
Join us and share your experiences and questions!
Available Spots: PAKETH Booster in October
How does PAKETH affect my teaching – and how can I turn it into an opportunity? This is exactly where the booster course “Creating PAKETH-ready Course Outlines” comes in: You’ll develop a concrete course outline, plan learning activities, align the course design with the target skills, and select appropriate performance assessments.
But how can you put these plans into practice in the classroom – especially when time is tight? In the “Less Rush, More Reach” booster course, you’ll learn strategies for effectively activating prior knowledge, identifying learning gaps, and selecting the right teaching or learning methods to achieve your instructional goals.
We look forward to welcoming you to our booster courses in October.
- Older status messages sup-project.
- Current status of the overall PAKETH project.
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:
Factsheet "external page Repetition of integrated Performance Assessments" placed in our external page Folder with restricted access*.
* Authorised: Directors of Studies, study programme coordinators, Educational Developers (LSP), employees in departments, administration and operations, access.
“With PAKETH and the reduced time for exam preparation, students must be more continuously engaged in their studies all along the semester. This will have a positive impact on their learning process.”Prof. Dr. Bruno Sudret, Chair of Risk, Safety & Uncertainty Quantification, D-BAUG
Procedure and timeline
The Unit for Teaching and Learning (UTL) offers support for degree programmes, lecturers and assistants in implementing the aspects listed below in specific courses.
Take advantage of the support offered by UTL.
Courses and workshops facilitate the efficient design and planning of courses but also the selection of content and effective teaching and examination methods.
UTL also supports coordination between teaching staff with tailor-made services. New support offers are being developed on an ongoing basis.
Please feel free to contact us at any time at .
The new programme regulations in PAKETH no longer allow for annual course examinations. Final examinations after the lecture period or integrated performance assessments (iLN) are to be planned as alternative forms of performance assessment.
If the curriculum allows, annual courses can also be planned as larger modules within a semester.
Starting in the Autumn Semester 2027, a 3- to 4-week learning period will replace the two-month exam preparation period in the summer. In the Spring Semester in particular, students will have to work harder than before to process and internalise the course content during lecture times.
The consequence: a necessary change in the learning culture. Lecturers will support this by selecting and prioritising course content and making conscious use of contact hours (course time) and students' self-study time.
Lecturers check whether the number of hours per module (in accordance with ECTS) is sufficient for typical ETH students to achieve the learning objectives required to pass the module. The number of hours is calculated as the sum of contact time, self-study time and exam preparation time. One ECTS credit corresponds to 25-30 hours of work.
Goal: to ensure a realistic and manageable workload for students during the semester.
Note: Bundling smaller, thematically related courses into larger modules can help reduce the mental and administrative workload for students.
Lecturers have the option of promoting continuous engagement with the course content via integrated performance assessments (iLN).
iLNs take place during the semester and can therefore take various forms, such as the previous “semester performances”. In addition, they can be used like the previous semester performances to provide early feedback on performance.
Unfavourable workload peaks (e.g. scheduling conflicts when several iLN take place at the same time) can be avoided in most cases through consultation between lecturers and information exchange with the degree programme.
Students need all relevant information in good time regarding:
- performance assessments,
- deadlines,
- examination modalities.
Detailed and up-to-date entries in the Course Catalogue are important and helpful for students.
It is also desirable for students to be informed of the needed self-study time, which experience has shown to be necessary in addition to the contact time per module.
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.
How can you further develop your teaching in the context of PAKETH?
How can students build skills step by step—across individual courses and in a way that is aligned with the curriculum? How can you integrate continuous learning, distributed workload, automated feedback, or staggered performance assessments into your teaching?
The Innovedum PAKETH Edition supports teaching projects that address these challenges and develop practical, transferable solutions for degree programmes. Visit the Innovedum website to learn more about what makes a PAKETH teaching project and how to submit a proposal.
The Innovedum “Call for Projects Fall 2026” invites you to submit your project by October 1, 2026. Starting with this round, the focus topic “Sustainability & Ethics” is also available for focus project applications.
P.S.: Is October 1 too soon for your idea? Take your time—the submission deadline for the PAKETH Edition has been extended to March 1, 2028.
Replay Refresh Teaching: D-USYS videos on the Study Programme Initiative SI2 from 23 June now online!
Ahead of the second phase of the Study Programme Initiative at D-USYS, Dr Manuel Sudau, Dr Anouk N'Guyen (D-USYS), and Dr Philip Barth (UTL) present the current status of the initiative: How do you foster genuine participation rather than merely formal consultation? And which formats really work when many perspectives come together?
Get the key insights in just 350 seconds: Watch the video for an overview of the current status of the D-USYS Study Programme Initiative and explore additional content if you would like to learn more.
Watch now: .
Refresh Teaching on 23 June with D-USYS
How do you foster genuine participation rather than merely formal consultation? And which formats really work when many perspectives come together?"
"Many Voices, One Vision" is more than just the title of a Refresh Teaching Event – it's an approach that demonstrates how truly future-proof curricula are developed.
As part of the Study Program Initiative2 (SI2) at D-USYS, this approach is put into practice across the department: students, faculty, researchers, alumni, employers, and external experts jointly develop study programs – in a structured, participatory manner and with a clear goal: relevant, robust, and adaptive education for the future.
But how does this work in practice?
- Dr. Anouk N'Guyen (Educational Developer D-USYS)
- Dr. Manuel Sudau (Educational Developer D-USYS)
- und Dr. Philip Barth (UTL - Curriculum Development)
share their experiences:
- how participatory curriculum development is implemented in practice,
- which structures enable genuine collaboration,
- how degree programmes are created that can meet future requirements
- and where obstacles are to be expected or are still being addressed.
Current status of the project
21 May 2026
Outstanding Teaching – KITE Award 2026 goes to “Embedded Systems”
Michele Magno from the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (D-ITET) and his team have won the KITE Award 2026. The award recognises the newly redesigned compulsory course “Embedded Systems”, which implements project-based learning on a large scale for the first time.
Read more now about the winning project and the other innovative nominated projects – “Digital Creativity for Circular Construction” by Catherine de Wolf and “Increasing the dynamics in Dynamics” by Dennis Kochmann – in the concise event report from Internal News.
Teaching Network – Preview: Refresh Teaching
Those in the know are already aware: Refresh Teaching over lunchtime is the straightforward online event with the highest concentration of teaching experts both on and off screen (in English). On 23 June 2026, we’ll be hosting a Refresh Teaching Special on [SI²] Learnings, offering an insight into the D-USYS’s degree programme initiative2.
Spend your lunch break on something with nourishing value: on the Refresh Teaching website, you’ll soon find the dates and links for upcoming events, as well as the archive of recorded sessions from previous days.
Inspiration in Teaching – on display at the Learning & Teaching Fair 2026
Innovation, proven effectiveness and sustainability: Award-winning projects stand alongside other smart initiatives – the Learning & Teaching Fair’s virtual exhibition offers you a curated insight into projects from various departments at any time – compact, accessible and adaptable.
Explore the website for the virtual exhibition of the Learning and Teaching Fair 2026.
First-class teaching – the KITE Award at the Learning & Teaching Fair on 6 May
A highlight for anyone passionate about teaching and learning: the 2026 Learning & Teaching Fair will showcase the latest teaching innovations from ETH Zurich. This year’s event focuses particularly on AI in teaching, exploring methods, tools and approaches that promote the meaningful and responsible integration of AI into educational practice.
Outstanding teaching – brought to the fore
When the KITE Award and the Learning & Teaching Fair come together,they highlight what distinguishes good teaching: innovation, demonstrable effectiveness and lasting impact. Award-winning projects stand alongside other initiatives, fostering guidance, exchange and connection.
Criteria become encounters – a hallmark of ETH
The three criteria of the jury’s evaluation grid thus become a shared learning space for the further development of teaching. We meet colleagues from other departments, discover interesting projects – like the SI² (D-USYS) or «Currev» (D-ARCH) – new projects and engage in conversation – an ideal place to gather inspiration and develop our own ideas further.
More on the website of the Learning & Teaching Fair 2026.
Discover teaching – online at any time
Can’t make it to the Learning & Teaching Fair in person on 6 May? The virtual exhibition at the Learning & Teaching Fair offers you a curated insight into projects from various departments, providing a compact, accessible and adaptable overview. It’s perfect for finding specific inspiration and exploring practical examples.
Visit the virtual exhibition.
New inspiration for performance assessments – Assessment View for lecturers: The website Assessment View features a new good-practice listicle with 13 case studies from various departments, designed to help lecturers reflect on their performance assessments within PAKETH.
This curated overview, with a specific focus on assessment culture as well as the design and implementation of performance assessments, is presented in an easy-to-understand format and offers a wealth of information in a compact form.
Commented examples from D-INFK and D-ARCH will also soon be available as a recording in the latest issue of Refresh Teaching.
Call for submissions: We are still looking for inspiring examples for all lecturers: Do you know of any performance assessments that you think have an interesting set-up or approach? Please send us a short message at ; we look forward to your feedback.
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.
- Fresh from the source: The most useful tips for iLN in the Learning&Teaching blog Attention lecturers: Here's how you can use Moodle to make integrated performance assessments practical, varied and scalable for both you and your students.
Integrated performance assessments throughout the semester promote sustainable learning instead of exam stress – and Moodle makes implementation clear and efficient.
If you want to make your course and integrated performance assessments more sustainable, fair and competence-oriented, you will find specific recommendations, practical examples and tried-and-tested tools in the latest Teaching&Learning blog post.
Read more now in the L&T blog (in English) and see how the iLN approaches presented there could benefit your own courses. It's definitely worth taking a quick look.
The teams at Educational IT Services (ID) and Teaching Development (UTL) are happy to provide further counselling. We look forward to hearing from you at .
- Update to the fact sheet ‘Repeating performance assessments’: What happens when students are ill? The additions to the external page fact sheet provide clarity and specify the discretion available to lecturers in the case of justified absences.
- An academic year from a workload perspective: Most* Bachelor's degree programmes received the updated data from the spring semester 2025 course evaluations in the first week of November 2025.
Together with the data already published from the autumn semester 2024, it is now possible to map a complete academic year in terms of student time investment.
We are happy to advise departments and lecturers on strategies and best practices for workload planning. We look forward to receiving your enquiry by email at .
* The remaining Bachelor's programmes will receive their data in the course of this week.
- Last-minute opportunity for spontaneous lecturers: Are you already considering adapting your course with regard to PAKETH?
There are still places available in the booster course ‘.
New Episode Podcast Inside PAKETH - Reform in Practice: Curriculum Reform through Competence Frameworks
- In this second episode of Inside PAKETH, we speak with Heather Stoll, study director at D-EAPS, about the impact of PAKETH on curriculum reform and faculty collaboration.
- You will learn why Prof. Stoll considers herself fortunate to be Director of Studies at this particular time, how she specifically supports her colleagues in the degree programme, and how she shares her enthusiasm. Have a listen and let Prof. Stoll inspire you.
New Factsheet: In terms of assessment, there is new support for degree programmes and lecturers in PAKETH in the form of a external page fact sheet on repeating performance assessments.
- This fact sheet provides an early glimpse of the comprehensive guidelines for integrated performance assessments, which are under development and expected to be ready by summer 2026.
- Individual contents of the external page fact sheet on repeating performance assessments will also be incorporated into the directive on the Ordinance on the Studies (Verordnung über das Studium, VoS) which will be compiled in the course of 2026.
New Analysis: What is the current situation regarding semester performance?
- All entries on semester performance in the Course Catalogue, totalling 812 course units in HS25, were analysed. Did you know that more than half of these entries lack a description of the performance assessment in the course catalogue?
- To complete the empirical fundamentals for the simulations retrospectively, the relevant lecturers will be invited to participate in a UTL survey on the type of semester performance used at the beginning of October. We look forward to receiving your responses!
- Popular and proven forms of performance assessment should continue to be possible with PAKETH as part of the integrated performance assessments (IPA). It appears that most semester performance are composed of mainly 7 formats used. The results of the detailed analysis (shown from > N=2):
- The most commonly used method is an oral or written exam (N=92, 25%), in 20% (N=76) of cases it is a submission (texts, exercises, constructions, etc.) and in 6% of cases (N=24) it is a combination of exams and submissions.
- This is followed, in descending order of frequency, by attendance or active participation in the course (N=24), presentations (N=9), project work (N=3) and group work (N=1).
- In 40% of all cases, there is a combination of at least 2 to 4 different partial performances of the aforementioned formats.
- There are significant departmental differences in the use of the formats. The results for your own department can be requested from the UTL ().
- It should be noted, however, that the frequencies mentioned above were only determined from just under half of the 812 course units with semester performance in autumn semester 2025 due to missing entries in the Course Catalogue (see above).
- Older status messages sup-project.
- Current status of the overall PAKETH project.
New data from the course evaluation as part of the teaching evaluation: The
Educational Development Team (UTL) now offers updated data sets showing the time investment of students over the course of an academic year.
This data set features new diagrams showing the proportion of the workload generated by independent study, course attendance, and exam preparation for each semester.
In the coming weeks, all bachelor's degree programmes will receive an updated course evaluation incorporating the new data set and diagrams. This data will support workload planning and monitoring within degree programmes and for PAKETH.
A survey of workload progression over the semester is expected to be piloted in autumn and will provide further insights for workload monitoring.
If you have any questions about the dataset or would like counselling on workload planning, please contact the Educational Development Team (UTL) by email at .
As part of the preparations for PAKETH, workshops are being held throughout ETH in which dozens of lecturers discuss how their individual courses fit into the overall picture of the degree programmes.
Many lecturers want to enable their students to solve the problems of tomorrow that are still unknown today. The way to achieve this is through a broad range of competences that enable them to integrate different perspectives, deal with uncertainty and successfully collaborate across disciplines.
An effective way to strengthen these skills is project-based teaching, which is at the heart of the vision for teaching at ETH Zurich.
In the recently published 5th edition of the ETH Learning and Teaching Journal, lecturers give an insight into the project-based courses that they have designed, implemented and continuously improved with great commitment. An inspiring read!
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.
Support for PAKETH Teaching Projects
The ETH Innovedum Fund can support teaching innovations that are launched in connection with PAKETH.
Procedure and criteria on the Innovedum website.