Abstract:

Internationalization has resulted in the expansion of academic activities beyond national borders, and specifically in universities it includes the process of ‘integrating an international, intercultural or global dimension to the purpose, function and delivery of post-secondary education, in order to enhance the quality of education and research for all students and staff and make a meaningful contribution to society’ (deWit, et.al. 2005:29). International activities and initiatives that take place on campus are termed Internationalization at Home (IaH) and often rely on interactions between domestic and international students, yet, during the pandemic, travel bans resulted in a decrease in student mobility and limited opportunities for exchange. Japan was the only member of the Group of Seven advanced economies to block entry to exchange students from the rest of the world. Around 400,000 foreign nationals have not been able to enter the country as a result of the border controls. This resulted in not only lost revenue but more importantly longer-term implications for Japan’s soft power and attempts to internationalise its universities. There is a risk of a loss of interest in studying in Japan with the knock-on effect of a more inward-looking mentality among Japanese students. Internationalisation has been promoted as key to creating a multicultural employment base for Japanese companies to meet globalisation demands and efforts must be made to rebuild Japan’s reputation as a destination for study abroad. The barriers have given rise to an increasing number of universities implementing virtual mobility programs as a means of IaH, specifically Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) programs. This research presents a case study of how one Japanese university has engaged in piloting and embedding COIL at their university during the pandemic and what initiatives need to be taken to ensure the sustainability of such programs post-pandemic. The case university has agreements for mutual educational and research with about 20 universities abroad and has sent approximately 660 students overseas. However, during the global pandemic, all face-to-face study abroad programmes were cancelled. As a result, the university’s International Exchange Center (IEC) sought new ways to engage students in global issues and cross-cultural exchanges. Over the past 18 months, the center has been researching COIL best practices and learning pedagogy in order to develop a programme suitable for students. COIL is not only an effective solution to the problem of not being able to travel abroad due to the pandemic, but also a long-term solution to the question of how to prepare students to thrive in an interconnected, virtual future global working environment. It is also a viable option for financially-disadvantaged students enabling them to gain international experience without extra expense.

The research will:
a). outline the context of internationalization and the current state of international exchange in Japanese universities as a result of the Japan travel ban,
b). present evidence of how a COIL program was piloted and embedded into the university,
c). highlight challenges unique to the Japanese context and provide ways to overcome such challenges,
d). outline future research that should be conducted on COIL programs and
e). recommend how international partners can approach and work with Japanese partners to rebuild interest in Japan.

Keywords:

COIL, International Education, Japan, Virtual, Intercultural Competence.