Frequently Asked Questions
Project-based Education as means to foster Transferable Competencies at ETH Zurich
PBLabs developed a definition of project-based education specifically for the ETH Zurich context. This definition emerged from a comprehensive literature review and several collaborative sessions with educational developers in the departments, members of the Unit for Teaching and Learning, and faculty. The goal was to establish a practical and accessible definition that would assist those involved in teaching and educational support at the institution.
Definition: Project-based education (PBE) is a pedagogic approach that uses project work to foster subject-specific and transferable competencies, as well as independent learning. Students typically work in teams, sometimes with a guide/coach, and are given a challenge situated in a practice-based context. Through independent inquiry and research (both individually and as part of a group), as well as with a variety of inputs (such as lectures and expert visits), students develop problem statements and solutions that are presented at the end of the course.
Key Features: The term "project-based" encompasses a wide range of projects and various methodologies. Despite this diversity, several key characteristics are consistent throughout.
Project-based education is a practice that must be tried out, reflected
upon and improved – much like any sort of teaching. PBE is compatible
with the teaching practices already established at ETH. The course
design strategy for a PBE class mirrors that of a traditional class.
It is important to emphasize the following:
- There isn’t a universal method for designing PBE formats.
- There is no need to completely redesign a class to integrate all aspects of PBE at once. PBE strategies can be implemented gradually, allowing the teaching team to build their experience and confidence over time.
- Like any teaching approach, and particularly when implementing project-based formats that frequently include external guests, site visits, etc., it is crucial to consider resources in the early stages of the design process. These should be a key focus in any discussion related to course design.
PBlabs offers tailored trainings on PBE course design, coaching and more. Visit the PBLabs Trainings page.
UTL offers a much wider range of continuing education for all aspects of teaching, from the basics through to short workshops focusing on individual aspects, lunchtime seminars and more. Check the offers from UTL.
None of the above meets your needs? Contact the PBLabs Team () and let's see how we can help!
Project-based courses can be extremely diverse in their design. PBLabs has created a simple typology of course types aligned with the Key Features of PBE. The distinctions between these groups of courses can lead to significant differences in the student experience and engagement with projects, but all are valuable learning formats and deliver different elements of a well-rounded education.
Universities today walk a complex line between delivering education that is more than just professional training, whilst ensuring that graduates are equipped adequately to navigate post-study employment. ETH’s Vision der Lehre places great emphasis on the importance of competence-oriented studies, interdisciplinarity and problem-solving as core skills needed by future graduates.
Project-based education can be extremely valuable for fostering many of the social and personal competencies that ETH captures within its Competence Framework.
More about the ETH Competencies Framework
The terms ‘project-based’ and ‘problem-based’ learning have been widely adopted in school and university contexts. However, these terms represent a blend of educational approaches and often label ‘active’ teaching styles—those that engage students directly—as PBL, without consideration of their historical roots. This creates confusion for educators trying to provide quality teaching that equips students with essential competencies after graduation.
The distinctions between project- and problem-based teaching have been defined based on three main questions:
1) the level of student self-direction,
2) who identifies the problem (teacher or student), and
3) the teacher's role in projects.
Both approaches present challenges for students to solve, typically through a solution-based method where they create prototypes or designs. They also emphasize interdisciplinarity and encourage self-directed learning.
At ETH, we use the term ‘project-based education’ (PBE) to avoid confusion surrounding the acronym ‘PBL’. We acknowledge that many scholars view the narrower concept of ‘problem-based learning’ as a subset of ‘project-based learning’, which is in turn seen as part of ‘inquiry-based learning’. We refer to ‘education’ to emphasize that teaching and learning are integral parts of the same process.
More on the history, development and relevance of PBE for teaching at ETH:
- Elsner et al (2025) Framing project-based education at ETH. ETH Learning and Teaching Journal, 5 (1): 5-21.
- ELTJ issue on learning through projects and practical work.
ETH Zurich hosts numerous project-based courses and has a long-standing tradition of developing project-based learning curricula.
The PBE in Action series showcases some of the best project-based courses at ETH.
In 2022, the Rector of ETH Zurich launched PBLabs as a strategic initiative to promote project-based education and enhance competence-oriented teaching. From 2022-2023, PBlabs focused on organizing ETH Week. In 2024, PBLabs joined the Unit for Teaching and Learning. Since late 2023, PBLabs has expanded its role to support lecturers in developing project-based formats and enhancing the learning experience for students. This includes, for example, the training of Student Coaches, who guide students in project-based education formats.
Additionally, PBLabs maintains two purpose-built teaching spaces – PBLabs RZ at Zentrum and PBLabs HIT on H?nggerberg – designed specifically for project- and group-based courses.
ETH has long promoted constructive alignment in how its teaching is designed. This pedagogic concept (Biggs 1996) suggests that the learning objectives, the learning experience and tasks and the assessment need to be carefully aligned with each other.
This relates well to the core principles of PBE: on the one side, the results and assessment in a PBE course should be strongly guided by the learning objectives. On the other side, the results and assessment should reflect and support the student learning experience including the real-world context, the learning process, the guidance and coaching that they receive, and the opportunities for reflection.
Biggs (1996) Constructive Alignment is a pedagogical concept that suggests that the learning objectives, the learning experience and the assessment need to be carefully aligned with each other.
This aligns closely with the core principles of PBE: On the one side, the results and assessment should be strongly guided by the learning objectives. On the other side, results and assessment should reflect and support the student learning experience including the real-world context, the learning process, the guidance and coaching that they receive, and the opportunities for reflection.