Education Office Newsletter - October 2015
© 2015 EPFL
Despite a 15% increase in student numbers compared to last year, the new academic year has started smoothly. The summer break was used to renovate some auditoriums and classrooms so as to comfortably accommodate these new students. Nor has the DAF team been idle, as you will see from the following news which occurred in recent months. We wish you a pleasant read and a radiant autumn!
Contents
• Human Resources
• IS-Academia
• Statistics Observatory
• MOOCs for Africa
• EPFL Welcomes the first Summer School of MINT Classes from the Köniz High School
• Virtual Tour
• 5th Edition of the EPFL International Fair
• COHABITONS – “Why can't we live together” Campaign
• Nouveaux parkings à vélos sécurisés!
• Who’s Who at VPAA
• Plus de places pour les étudiants !
• New support for writing and correcting multiple choice exams
• A new website for the Teaching Support Centre
• Positive solutions to student plagiarism
• The ‘First four weeks’ project is launched
Human Resources
Doctoral Programs
The Registrar’s Office (SAC) and Doctoral School would like to wish Ms Emma Sorrentino and Ms Alice Emery-Goodman a warm welcome. Ms Sorrentino joined the Doctoral Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering (EDCE) on 1 May, taking over from Ms Isabelle Livet who chose to leave EPFL to take up new challenges. Ms Emery-Goodman joined the Doctoral Program in Neuroscience (EDNE) on 1 June, taking over from Ms Michèle Bonnard who is retiring after a successful career at EPFL. We would like to warmly thank Ms Livet and Ms Bonnard and wish Ms Sorrentino and Ms Emery-Goodman every success in their new assignments.
For further information: [email protected]
Study Programs Promotion Service
The Study Programs Promotion Service is pleased to announce the arrival of two new staff members – Ms Ainsley Brown as Marketing Manager and Mr Emilien Candaux as Event Manager. They are looking forward to future exchanges and collaborations with the various actors in our school. Please give them a warm welcome.
For further information: [email protected]
IS-Academia
As usual, the summer break served to prepare for the 2015 academic year. A technical upgrade was implemented to ease the start of the new term and enable us to further develop the new scheduling and billing modules. Regarding billing, the entire process will be reviewed with a view to discontinuing paper invoices and facilitating online payment of tuition fees. As for the new scheduling module, it is currently being reviewed by the team in charge of planning lectures. Full deployment is planned for early 2016.
For further information: [email protected]
Statistics Observatory 
The provisional dashboards have been prepared and submitted to the EPFL senior management. The highlights are the significant increase in new students at both Bachelor and Master level and an analysis of results in the 2014-15 foundation year exam.
We provisionally have 228 more Bachelor enrolments than at the same time last year, i.e. a 15% increase. This is comparable to the figures in 2013, before the entry into force of the new rules of admission for non-residents. The GM and SIE sections have a particularly strong growth, +50% and +49% respectively. At Master level, the number of new (non-EPFL) students has increased by 4% compared to last year.
As for total student numbers, they have increased across the board against the same period last year: Bachelor +2%, Master +4% and PhD +3%. However, withdrawals are possible until the end of September.
The pass rate in the foundation year exam (43.6%) is not significantly higher than last year (41.8%). However, the failure rate has dropped significantly while the rate of failure through withdrawal has increased significantly compared to last year. Provisional figures indicate 844 successful candidates in the 2015 Bachelor exam (against 825 at the same time last year) and 679 to date at Master level (592 at the same time last year).
For further information: [email protected]
MOOCs for Africa
In June/July 2015, the Registrar’s office, in collaboration with the team of « MOOCs for Africa », was in charge of the communication of the results for two online courses: «Villes africaines : introduction à la planification urbaine» et «Eléments de géomatique». These courses were followed by many students all around the world. The Registrar’s office was responsible for the communication of 32 exams, 20 students also got an attestation of success for these 2 exams. On the other hand, the Registrar’s office is currently developing some rules for the cursus « Gestion et planification de la ville africaine » and for the future online courses as well. When this step will be done, the Registrar’s office will be plesaed to manage some other Massive online open courses (MOOCs).
For further information: [email protected]
EPFL Welcomes the first Summer School of MINT Classes from the Köniz High School
It is with enthusiasm that students in the first promotion of MINT classes (Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften und Technik) from Gymnasium Köniz (Bern) arrived on the EPFL campus in early July. The objectives were an immersion in the world of science and technology as well as an initial experience of a university of applied sciences and life on a university campus.
For further information: http://actus.epfl.ch/news/summerschool-des-classes-mint-du-gymnase-de-koni-2/
For further information: [email protected]
Virtual Tour
The Study Programs Promotion Service offers a surprising, multidimensional virtual tour of EPFL. This initiative was prompted by the wish to present the institution as a unique campus from a scientific, social and geographical point of view. This tool is a way to discover EPFL in a fun and innovative way, regardless of where you are in the world, as well as to promote its spirit of openness and innovation and the rich variety of EPFL activities and players.
http://virtualtour.epfl.ch/#!/
For further information: [email protected]
5th Edition of the EPFL International Fair
Our academic partners will come to meet our students on Friday 9 October 2015 at the Swiss Tech Convention Center.
The past decade has been marked by a development of international activities in the field of higher education. Despite recent difficulties concerning Erasmus for Switzerland, EPFL continues and will continue to encourage its students to take advantage of opportunities to gain international experience with renowned academic partners.
Students who have the good fortune of spending a semester or more in a partner university greatly benefit from their stay. This is a unique opportunity to discover another educational system and another culture, but also to improve their command of another language and to complement their CV with an experience much appreciated by prospective employers.
However, an exchange abroad requires careful planning. Before making your choice, ask yourself the basic questions: Do I meet the conditions set by the EPFL to go on exchange? Which language should I improve? What are the financial terms? Exchange, Master thesis or double degree? What is the right time to leave?
In the framework of the EPFL Forum, the Exchange Office and Study Programs Promotion Service will host several of our academic partners who look forward to meeting you on their stands and answering any questions you may have.
Do not miss this great opportunity to gather information, do join us!
INTERNATIONAL FAIR: Friday 9 October 2015, 09.00h to 17.00h, at the Swiss Tech Convention Center
For further information: [email protected]
COHABITONS – “Why can't we live together” campaign
Every day several thousand users flock to the Dorigny campus, and to EPFL in particular, among whom pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. The latter’s modal share (= proportion of the total user population) has increased by 36% since 2005, making it sometimes difficult for everyone to live together in harmony.
With this in mind and in collaboration with Sustainable Campus, the Foundation for EPFL Students (FEE), which is chaired by the VPAA, funded a project to raise awareness of road safety on and around our campus under the slogan “cohabitons” – let’s live together.
Actions including targeted displays, road safety courses and safety equipment for sale at unbeatable prices have been launched for the new academic year.
For further information:
http://developpement-durable.epfl.ch/cohabitons
http://mediacom.epfl.ch/journal-flash?mag=9340
[email protected]
New secure bicycle parks!
EPFL acquired 74 new bicycle parks during the summer. 3 more sheltered and secured bicycle carriers allow students to leave their bicycles out of the weather and depredations, the closest to the entrances of CM and CE buildings, and into the passage under the GR building.
The campus now has 2'287 bicycle parkings; over 70% of them are sheltered and 377 are secure. From the start of the academic year, another 20 bike racks will be inaugurated on the edge of AI and AAB buildings.
Since 2014, the Real Estate and Infrastructures Department (DII) has increased by more than a third the number of bicycle parkings. Thus, 747 sites have been created across our EPFL campus, along the Diagonale up to Quartier Nord.
By improving the quality of bicycle parking, EPFL hopes to aid in promoting green and healthy travels while facilitating a convenient alternative to public transport. Development projects for the coming years are already taking shape in order to meet bicycle parking needs which increase with the number of students and new habits in soft mobility.
The link http://plan.epfl.ch allows you to easily identify the location of all bicycle parkings available on campus.
For further information : [email protected]
Who’s Who at VPAA
The VPAA has undergone major organisational changes in 2015: the appointment of two Vice Provosts and the establishment of new centres and units have changed the face of our Vice Presidency.
To find out who does what, please look up the fifth edition of the VPAA brochure online or ask us for a paper copy! http://vpaa.epfl.ch/
More seats for students!
In 2011, faced with a growing student population, EPFL committed to increasing the number of available auditoriums, classrooms and student seating in tutorial rooms. Classrooms and auditoriums were renovated during summer holiday periods in order to increase seating capacity, replace old material and adapt IT equipment to current technology. In 2012, 704 seats were acquired by improving classroom density throughout the entire campus. In 2013, the Polydôme was turned into a classroom creating 188 more seats and the creation of a new architecture studio in 2014 added 54 seats. That same year, renovation to auditoriums resulted in a 7% increase in capacity (243 additional seats). The former Batochime library will be converted into a new 250-seat auditorium and seating density increased in additional auditoriums across campus for the start of the 2016 academic year.
In all, a 20% increase in the number of seats will have been achieved between 2011 and 2016.
For further information : [email protected]
New support for writing and correcting multiple choice exams
The Teaching Support Centre offers a new support service for teachers who use multiple choice exams. The support consists on: 1) easily accessible hardware and software, 2) a helpline, 3) individual or group advice in designing multiple choice tests and scanning the answer sheets and 4) training in both writing multiple choice questions and in using the scanning systems. This workshop is scheduled for October 9, to register please follow this link. If you would like to discuss or need specific help, please contact Pierre-Olivier Vallès.
A new website for the Teaching Support Centre
Our new website is now on-line. Visit it to find out about the areas of support and services to teachers, students and sections.
For further information: [email protected]
Positive solutions to student plagiarism
This semester two pedagogic lunches are offered on the theme of student plagiarism. These short sessions present the most common forms of plagiarism in student work and suggest ways to help students avoiding it. The lunches are scheduled for November 17 (in English) and December 7 (in French). The sessions are facilitated in collaboration with the Library. For more information and to register, please follow this link.
For further information: [email protected]
The ‘First four weeks’ project is launched
To support students in developing the right study skills, a project called “the first four weeks” is being run in collaboration between the Teaching Support Centre and the Physics section. During the first four weeks of term students are provided with a series of practical activities which can help them to develop effective study skills. The seven habits that have been selected are based on strong research evidence which suggests that they are particularly important. For more information follow this link.
For further information: [email protected]