Teachings

The Media and Methods Lab partners with courses across ETH Zurich to bring an additional, distinctive dimension to academic teaching: the creation of audiovisual media as a learning experience in itself.

We collaborate with lecturers and course teams to integrate media assignments into existing courses. Participants don't just consume content; they produce it. Working in small teams, they develop short audiovisual pieces (videos, infographics, documentary formats, or XR experiences) on topics drawn directly from their course material. The process of translating complex scientific or technical content into a well-crafted media product deepens understanding in ways that traditional assessments rarely do.

How it works

A typical collaboration begins with a conversation with the course team to identify where a media assignment adds the most value. We then support participants throughout the production process. Our team provides guidance on both the media craft and the communication of content, ensuring that scientific rigor and creative quality go hand in hand.

What students gain

Beyond the subject matter itself, students develop skills that are increasingly essential in academic and professional life: the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, to work collaboratively under creative constraints, and to engage audiences beyond the lecture hall. These are competencies that a written exam simply cannot build.

Bachelor's and Master's Theses

For students looking to engage more deeply with the intersection of media, technology, and education, the Media and Methods Lab offers the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor's or Master's Thesis with us. Thesis projects are embedded in our current research and development work, whether that means exploring new formats for science communication, investigating the pedagogical potential of XR, or designing and evaluating novel approaches to the virtualization of teaching. If you are interested in working with us on a thesis, reach out to discuss open topics or bring your own idea. We are open to both.

Working with us

If you are a lecturer or course coordinator interested in integrating a media assignment into your course, we'd love to hear from you. We bring the methodological expertise and production infrastructure - you bring the content and the students.

Teachings topics we cover:

  • Visualizations and infographics for science communication

  • Audiovisual and visual GenAI creation for scientific endeavors

  • Visual graphical abstracts for peer-reviewed papers

  • Script writing for different media formats

  • Science video communication (the whole spectrum of formats)

  • Classical storytelling techniques

  • Audiovisual storytelling (meaningful images for research and teaching)

  • How to podcast

  • New ways of scientific poster design (the power of visual communication)

  • Comics - how to and for what purpose (hint: poster presentations)

  • Performance and communication training for presentations and on-cam

  • Theory and epistemic practices of images and audiovisual media for scientific endeavors

  • Video assignment formats

    • case study documentations

    • science videos and meme cultures (science meets internet culture)

    • audiovisual essays

And: individual mentorings of bachelor and master students projects who consider working with audiovisual or new media

Recent and forthcoming teachings

  • WSL Blue/Green Biodiversity: New ways of scientific poster design (summer school)

  • World Food Sciences Center: Podcasts, Infographics, Comics (summer school)

  • D-ARCH Visual Storytelling in the Archive: Audiovisual essays as assignment format (SS25)

  • Plant Sciences Center: Visual GenAI for science communication (SS25 & FS24)

  • D-USYS Agroecologists without boarders: Infographics & Storytelling (SS25)

  • D-HEST Assistive Technology Challenge: Case study documentations as assignment format (SS24)

  • D-GESS Development Economics: New ways of scientific poster design (SS25)

  • D-USYS: SciComm Videos - Meme cultures meets sciences (SS25)

  • D-USYS Agroecologists without boarders: Infographics & Storytelling (SS24)

  • D-USYS Agroecologists without boarders: Smartphone Videography (SS24)

  • D-GESS SDG Lecture Series: Poster design 2.0 (FS24)

  • D-EAPS: Graphical Abstract for peer-reviewed publications (SS24)

  • D-USYS Seminar Umweltsysteme: SciComm Videos - Humor meets sciences (SS24)

  • WSL: Smartphone Videography for Science Communication (SS24)

  • WSL Blue/Green Biodiversity: The art of scientific infographics (summer school)

  • D-HEST Assistive Technology Challenge: Case study documentations as assignment format (SS24)

  • D-USYS Umweltsysteme: SciComm Videos - shortest shorts - tiktok cultures (SS23)