New development of comprehensive internationalization centered on
co-creative international collaborative learning and the creation of social value

　Our university’s proposed “New development of comprehensive internationalization centered on co-creative international collaborative learning and the creation of social value” was selected for the “Project to Support Multicultural Collaborative Campuses that Create Social Impact (Type I/Regional Cooperation-based).”
　Our vision statement (Tohoku University Vision 2030) includes the “creation of an Intercultural Collaborative Learning (ICL) campus,” so we have expanded our ICL classes more than any other national university.
　In this program we will further expand them to provide all undergraduate students with an environment that enables the acquisition of basic multicultural literacy by taking classes in co-creative ICL subjects in six distinctive interdisciplinary clusters. Furthermore, by organically linking co-creative ICL with other international programs, we will create a virtuous cycle in which interaction between domestic and international students improves international mobility and expands opportunities for international students to excel in Japan. This will also fulfill a complimentary role for the gateway colleges envisioned by the Universities of International Research Excellence initiative.
　Our program aims to become a model for higher education in Japan through co-creation among students with various cultural backgrounds and diverse stakeholders, confronting a number of social issues, and creating new social value.

　Over the last 15 years Tohoku University has emphasized fostering global talent that will lead our future society among domestic and international students while promoting ICL-focused educational. Going beyond the classroom, we provide an educational environment that encourages campus-wide intercultural cooperation, broadens the students’ international perspective, and improves critical thinking skills through extracurricular learning activities and co-educational international housing.
　This program will further expand these efforts by making ICL activities mandatory, expanding (doubling) co-creative ICL classes/activities held with cooperation from external stakeholders, linking outbound/inbound programs with ICL, and comprehensively expanding international educational exchange under ICL. This will create opportunities for every student to experience ICL classes/activities before they graduate.
　Additionally, we will work to ensure educational quality by improving instructor training, evaluating/disclosing learning outcomes, and adopting Japan’s first ever “ICL rubric.” Moreover, we plan to further disseminate/share guidelines for good practices thus contributing to the growth of internationalization at Japanese higher education institutions overall.