FASoS researchers Joris Boonen and Thomas Frissen receive NRO grant
Together with Teun Dekker (UCM), Olga Mink (Zuyd) and Emmy Nelissen (Zuyd), Joris Boonen and Thomas Frissen have received an NRO Insights into Educational Innovation grant of €200,000 for the project ‘Does interdisciplinary education live up to its promises: an evaluation of the added value of interdisciplinary bachelor programmes at Maastricht’s university and university of applied sciences’.
About the project
Many Dutch universities are adopting interdisciplinary education to prepare students for complex global challenges. This approach integrates multiple academic and professional perspectives to develop skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration across disciplines. However, there is limited scientific evidence on its effectiveness.
This research project, involving five interdisciplinary bachelor’s programmes from Maastricht University and Zuyd Hogeschool, aims to evaluate this approach. The study gathers data from students, teachers, and alumni through surveys and interviews to assess the development of interdisciplinary competencies. The findings will help refine interdisciplinary education and provide best practices for curriculum design.
About the grant
The Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO) is part of the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). The NRO’s aim is to improve the quality of Dutch education through research. In higher education, there is increasing focus and space for innovations in education.
Innovation projects are designed in an evidence-informed way where possible and evaluated after completion to determine whether the innovation has improved education. Such projects are often developed at a single institution. To better understand the effective principles of educational innovations, it is important to examine the same innovation in at least two different educational contexts. This grant funds such research projects.
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