Kansai University would like to provide international opportunities for our university students whose educational experience has been impacted by the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. This desire is shared by all those involved in international education around the world, both professors and staff. Although there is some uncertainty as to whether this “with corona” situation will continue, Kansai University sees this new phase as the entrance to the next stage of international education in Japan, and we are working to further expand our existing focus on online international education.
 

Through our COIL project, the IIGE global network now consists of over 40 universities, and this year, the expansion of collaboration with multiple regions such as ASEAN, Africa, South America and Europe is being realized. Based on this network, this fall semester we are promoting the "Kansai University Engaged/Exchange Online Learning (KU-EOL) Action". This program allows students of our partner universities and the IIGE Global Network to take a group of courses that we have intentionally maintained as online courses in English. Despite the short application period of two and a half weeks, a total of 100 students from 17 universities in 11 countries applied for this program, demonstrating how students around the world are seeking an international experience, even if only virtually.
 

The University's online exchange course offerings are the best use of IIGE's educational method, Collaborative Learning Online. Rather than one-way lectures, active learning develops online. Using ImmerseU, the COIL platform developed by our university, students from outside the university will be able to obtain an account and view course materials and video materials.

In the future, we plan to develop KU-EOL into a scheme for providing courses in both directions through cooperation with volunteer university institutions in our network. Kansai University is trying to be one of the first to realize the image of universities in the near future, when various forms of online international education are likely to be developed throughout Japan.