Internationalization of curriculum in English-medium instruction programs at Japanese universities: evolutions in pedagogy in the era of the ‘New Normal’

Internationalization of university curricula (IoC) has received growing attention among scholars and policymakers who recognize the importance of providing international and intercultural opportunities to all students, not only those able to partake in education abroad. As IoC is a form of internationalization that does not necessarily involve the physical cross-border mobility of people, it gains new relevancy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This talk will present findings from two pilot studies connected to a broader JSPS-funded project exploring IoC in Japanese higher education in the era of the ‘New Normal’. The first pilot study examines the ideas of IoC among 11 English-medium instruction (EMI) educators across a range of academic disciplines and universities, including perceived ‘blockers’ and ‘enablers’ of IoC at governmental, institutional, disciplinary, and personal levels. The second pilot study focuses on a particular form of IoC called Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). COIL programs have been implemented with funding from the Japanese government at a number of universities since 2018, in partnership with counterpart institutions in the US. COIL as a form of virtual exchange differs in fundamental ways from traditional student mobility. It expands access to ‘international’ experience to more students and represents an important shift in internationalization policy for Japan. Initial findings from interviews with participants in COIL projects will be presented and critically discussed as well.