New materials: this thin lithium-ion battery can be twisted, bent and stretched. (Photograph : Niederberger Group / ETH Zurich )
New materials: this thin lithium-ion battery can be twisted, bent and stretched. (Photograph : Niederberger Group / ETH Zurich ) - How is teaching at ETH dealing with the explosion of information in research and technology? Besides developing specialist knowledge, teaching is increasingly concerned with interdisciplinary skills such as critical thinking and the ability to filter, understand and apply relevant information. The massive growth in scientific knowledge thanks to research and technology over the last 30 years means that even acknowledged experts find it harder and harder to keep up. Against this background, doggedly stringing facts together and systematically turning students into walking encyclopaedias makes less and less sense. 'Of course it is painful to leave some things out, but teaching at ETH Zurich can no longer be an attempt to cover everything,' says Andreas Vaterlaus, Professor of Physics and Vice Rector for Curriculum Development. 'Treating a subject superficially without the students having the opportunity to apply their knowledge isn't much use.' Vaterlaus surveys how teaching at the university is constantly changing so that it remains adapted to the current state of knowledge. Important signals are provided by the teaching evaluation process, he says.
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