ETH Learning & Teaching Journal, Vol. 3 No. 1 (2022): Diversity and Inclusion in Teaching and Learning

Foreword

Prof. Dr. Sarah Springman, Rector ETH Zurich, 2015– 2022

Diversity and Inclusion in the Teaching and Learning Environment

Diversity and openness have been strengths of ETH Zurich since its foundation and contribute to ETH being one of the most renowned universities worldwide.

The teaching and learning environment at ETH should ensure that students are able to achieve their full potential, whatever their background, gender or social class. Developing unused potential is a central aim for ETH. One of the key aspects is to promote diversity in the teaching and learning environment.

This issue of the ETH Learning and Teaching Journal gathers articles on some projects, and initiatives, which exist in the ETH Community whose aims are to increase diversity in the learning environment. Some initiatives support bachelors’ students in their first year, others encourage reflection of how we could do better to integrate and encourage students from all backgrounds, while still others describe changes made in the curriculum to raise awareness of gender issues and increase inclusivity in particular disciplines. There are also articles from student and staff associations showing how involved the whole ETH community has become in promoting diversity. In addition, ETH’s “Barrier-Free Initiative”, begun in 2021, is presented here with the many aspects of making the university more accessible to students with different learning needs.

Creativity and innovation in a university is enhanced substantially by including and enabling students from every sector of society. ETH members are already involved in numerous projects to ensure our students reach their potential. Working together in the next years we can expand the impact of our collective work to increase diversity in the learning and teaching environment.