1. Introduction

1.1 Description of the Process

On 13 January 2004, the Executive Board of ETH Zurich took the decision to develop an institutional strategy for the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education, research and services at the university. The stimulus for developing an institutional ICT strategy came from the recommendations drawn up after the intermediate evaluation of ETH World at the end of 2003. In a broadly based, moderated process, ETH Zurich was to define the contribution that the use of information and communication technologies could make to the attainment of its strategic goals. The focus was to be on the needs of faculty, students and research staff.

For purposes of developing the strategy, the Executive Board appointed a Steering Committee comprising Professor Gerhard Schmitt (Chair), Vice-President for Planning and Logistics; Professor Konrad Osterwalder, Rector; Professor Ulrich Suter, Vice-President Research; and Professor William J. Mitchell from the Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

To support and moderate the strategy process, the Board appointed a Strategy Group and named Professor Bernhard Plattner, Programme Director of ETH World, as its leader. The members of the Strategy Group were faculty and senior staff members from the administrative units (the "infrastructure domains"), who were selected according to their roles, experience and knowledge so that they could contribute to the development of the strategy. The Student Association, VSETH, was also invited to appoint a representative.

To ensure broad support for the strategy, the ETH Departments and infrastructure domains were involved in the strategy development process. During the summer semester 2004, a survey was conducted amongst the Departments in order to establish their requirements. The answers provided the Strategy Group with a starting point for drafting the first version of the strategy, which was drafted during the summer and autumn of 2004.

At its meeting on 18 January 2005, the Executive Board asked the Vice-President for Planning and Logistics to consult the Departments, administrative units and university stakeholder organizations on the draft. In addition, students and staff members had an opportunity to comment on the draft via a web-based forum. The deadline for completion of the consultation was 15 April 2005. The suggestions made in the comments submitted were channelled into the draft. The Strategy Group reviewed the final draft at its meeting on 25 May 2005 and took the decision to submit it to the Steering Committee for approval.

1.2 The Structure of this Document

This strategy document identifies seven guidelines which, together, form the vision of the role that ICT is to play in the development of teaching and learning, research and services at ETH Zurich. On the basis of these general guidelines, the document defines the strategic goals that are to be achieved through the use of ICT in the core processes at ETH Zurich. These are divided into six thematic areas: Teaching and learning; Continuing education; Research; Outreach and cooperation with business, industry and society; Specific e-services for the ETH community; generic topics.

The initial implementation measures and the organizational units responsible for these are outlined in an Appendix.