Redefining the Internationalization of Higher Education and Global Competence : Perspectives in the Post-COVID Era

This edited volume is the first to systematically examine how the internationalization of higher education and global competence are being redefined in the post-COVID era. The pandemic disrupted established models of student mobility and intercultural learning, prompting universities worldwide to adopt online and hybrid learning approaches. These changes raised urgent questions about whether higher education can continue to foster global competence—skills in intercultural understanding, critical thinking, and global citizenship—without physical mobility.

Bringing together scholars from Japan, Taiwan, the United States, England, and Australia, the book combines two multinational student surveys (2022 and 2024) with qualitative faculty interviews and policy analyses. It highlights national differences in fostering global competence, the role of digital natives in intercultural learning, and the impact of political and economic contexts on higher education.

The chapters also explore innovative practices such as undergraduate research, interdisciplinary curricula, and the inclusion of indigenous knowledge as essential to developing truly global graduates.

The volume concludes with forward-looking reflections on building sustainable models of internationalization and global competence. By bridging empirical evidence, theory, and practice, this book provides timely insights for researchers, educators, policymakers, and university leaders worldwide.

Reiko Yamada, Ph.D., is Specially Appointed Professor of J. F. Oberlin University and Professor Emeritus of Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan. Dr. Yamada was a member of  the committee of the Central Council for Education in Japan. She was the president of the Japanese Association for College and University Education until 2023. Since 2023, she has served as executive director for the Japanese Association for College and University Education. Her recent publications are as follows. Reiko Yamada, Aki Yamada, Rie Mori, Yumiko Sugitani, Takuya Kimura, and Shihwei Sun, “Cultivation of Global Competencies in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Multinational Survey”, Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, Vol. 17, Issue 2 2025, pp. 97-114 (peer reviewed), Yamada R. “Thoughts on the Trends in 21st-Century Liberal Arts Education: Seeking Possibility of Collaboration between Universities and Industry”, Korean Journal of General Education 2024, Vol. 18, No. 6 pp.13-19(peer reviewed) Yamada R. “Status of 21st-Century Liberal Arts Education: Curriculum Reform in Japanese Universities and Evaluation by Society”, Open Access Journal published on 25 October 2024, Education Sciences, MDPI pp.1-13(peer reviewed), Analysis of Student Survey in the Era of COVID-19", East and Southeast Asian Perspectives on the Internationalisation of Higher Education, Policies, Practices and Prospects. Tran,T., Zou, T.X.P. & Ota, H. Eds. Routledge, 2024, pp.214-229(peer reviewed),  Yamada R. “How Does US STEM Higher Education Cultivate Global Competences Through Interdisciplinary Programs?”, Transformation of Higher Education in the Age of Society 5.0: Trends in International Higher Education, (R. Yamada, A. Yamada, D. E. Neubauer Eds.), Palgrave Macmillan, 2023, 105-126, (peer-reviewed).

Aki Yamada is Associate Professor at Tamagawa University, Japan. Her research focuses on globalization, contemporary Asian migration, transnational identity, STEM/STEAM education, digital migration and nomadism, and the internationalization of higher education. She has published comparative studies on higher education in Japan and the United States. She co-edited New Directions of STEM Research and Learning in the World Ranking Movement: A Comparative Perspective (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Her recent publications include “Advancing Intercultural Competence in Higher Education: Strategies for Engaging Generation Z” (Education Sciences, 2025). She has also published in the Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education (2021).In addition, she has contributed chapters to several edited volumes, including International Handbook of Globalisation, Education and Policy Research (Springer, 2022), Discourses of Globalization and Higher Education Reforms: Emerging Paradigms (Springer, 2022), and The Oxford Handbook of Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region.