To broaden students’ international learning experiences, through NTU Beyond Borders, the Office of Academic Affairs integrates disciplinary expertise with faculty- and staff-led mobility to cultivate students’ global mobility competence. Among its components, “Learning Beyond the Classroom” offers credit-bearing overseas field-learning courses designed by faculty, taking students out of the classroom and into real-world settings during winter and summer breaks. Students apply what they have learned in class to practical situations, deepening both their disciplinary knowledge and their international perspective.
“The Trilogy” of course collaboration begins with Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and links it with both Going Out and Coming In field-learning experiences. Students from NTU and partner institutions first collaborate across borders in online courses, then extend that work into in-person field learning, progressively deepening their learning and exchange and building more sustained international collaboration experiences.
In addition, the “International Study Group” pairs NTU students with students from overseas universities, forming cross-cultural learning groups based on different disciplines and cultural backgrounds. Through peer exchange and joint discussion, students engage in deeper learning. Beyond developing communication and leadership, organizational and presentation, and problem-solving skills, they also learn cultural respect and empathetic listening through their interactions, gradually building multicultural thinking and international collaboration skills.
From coursework to on-site exchange to cross-cultural peer learning, these three programs, led by faculty and staff, ease the psychological burden for students with limited international experience. They also make disciplinary expertise the foundation of learning, offering students diverse, step-by-step pathways into international learning.
NTU students from the University of Tsukuba International Study Group visit the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Students are guided through cross-border discussions during the final online forum of the Kobe University International Study Group’s COIL program.
NTU students engage in science communication and exchange ideas at the International Symposium for Young Researchers 2026 at Kobe University.
