The University of Cologne (UoC) is one of the oldest and with about 50.000 Students largest universities in Europe. Due to its outstanding scientific achievements and the high quality and diversity of its degree programmes, it enjoys an excellent international reputation. The UoC’s mission is to create, preserve and impart knowledge, to offer its students and early-career academics outstanding academic education, to qualify them for both academic and professional careers, to promote cutting-edge research and to drive innovation while focusing on the constantly changing needs and challenges of today’s society.

UoC’s teacher education programmes with about 13.000 participants make UoC the single largest provider of Teacher Education in Europe. The Institute of Physics Education provides content knowledge in physics for all teacher education programmes in the Sciences. It researches and develops the use of Design Thinking in Education, supports the digital transformation with a digital Makerspace for Schools, and serves as bridge from Teacher Education to the University GATEWAY Excellence Start-Up Center.

Design Thinking is used on several levels in UoC, from strategic decision making in the Arena Process, to curriculum design, and for the design of lessons and learning materials serving a heterogenous and inclusive community in the University and its surrounding schools.