"We are aiming for an optimal mix of classroom and online teaching"

ETH Rector Sarah Springman on teaching from the coming semester: 'The semester will be dominated by blended learning.' (Photograph: ETH Zurich) - The switch to online teaching last semester has worked incredibly well at ETH. But what form will teaching take in the autumn? Rector Sarah Springman discusses some of the arrangements that the university is currently considering. Professor Springman, will students be able to return to ETH classrooms and lecture halls in the Autumn Semester? We are doing our best to ensure that a large proportion of teaching can take place in classrooms and auditoria in the upcoming Autumn Semester. We haven't finished the detailed planning, there are still a lot of open questions. But we have worked closely with the academic departments and other areas of the university - professors, assistants, students, and administrative, technical and scientific staff - to map out the direction we want to take. Our decisions have also been influenced by the results of the survey that 60% of lecturers responded to, asking them where they see the main focal points of classroom teaching in the coming semester. And of course, we engaged more intensively with the representatives of our students and assistants to obtain their feedback. The general consensus has always been that we want as many students as possible to begin their semester at ETH in September, despite the necessary limitations. In addition, every student should be able to complete part of their studies on campus over the course of the semester. What were the main factors influencing your decisions?