Samenvatting

The development of interdisciplinary education is a complex task. Many cohesive decisions need to be taken to create a coherent curriculum and strong leadership is needed in order to realise long-term results. This article reviews seven research studies from three interdisciplinary education contexts at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, conducted over the past five years. Two main research questions are addressed: What are lessons learned for the design and implementation of interdisciplinary education, regarding the core elements of the curricular spider web [Van den Akker, J. 2003. “Curriculum Perspectives: An Introduction.” In Curriculum Landscapes and Trends, edited by J. J. H. van den Akker, W. A. J. M. Kuiper, and U. Hameyer, 1–10. Kluwer]? How does educational leadership contribute to or hinder the design process and the sustainable implementation of interdisciplinary education? We summarise and reflect on key results and argue to add elements to the spider web in order to acknowledge the complexity and advise educational leaders to pay more attention to creating a shared vision, to share leadership and responsibility, and to help teachers develop specific coaching skills.