Silke Hertel

Prof. Dr. Silke Hertel serves as Vice-Rector for Studies and Teaching at Heidelberg University and Acting Managing Director of the Heidelberg School of Education (HSE), where she oversees academic strategy, teacher education accreditation, and digital learning transformation across the institution. Her leadership spans both university-wide educational policy and HSE's specialized teacher training mission.

HSE operates through interconnected pillars of teaching, research, and transfer:

• Teacher training profiles for secondary education levels with specialized tracks in cultural education, democracy education, and multilingualism
• Research clusters focusing on value formation, critical media literacy, and sustainability education
• Major initiatives including MeAviA (reflective teaching), MINT-ProNeD (STEM education), ENTENTE21 (international collaboration), and #HSEdigital (digital pedagogy lab)

The school maintains robust grant funding through federal STEM education programs, European exchange frameworks, and state educational innovation grants. Current priorities include expanding the Deeper Learning Initiative and developing new modules in transcultural pedagogy.

HSE's operational structure features:

• Service Center for student internship coordination
• HSE Examination Office for certification
• Teaching Workshop providing faculty development
• Continuing education programs in mathematics and computer science
• International partnerships coordinated through ENTENTE21