This book examines several emerging trends in higher education, including artificial intelligence and the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on higher education transformation over the past couple of years. All higher education leaders and policy makers are dealing with the aftermath and continuing battle they face regarding higher education within the context of COVID-19. AI and the 4IR are also areas that impact every aspect of higher education, especially as disciplines are forced to provide credentials and relevance aligned to the workforce and economic needs. The chapters provide regional and country case studies from within the Asia Pacific Region. 

Reiko Yamada is Professor in the Faculty of Social Studies and Director of the Center for Higher Education and Student Research at Kyotos Doshisha University, Japan, where she was also the former Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies. 
Aki Yamada is Lecturer  at Tamagawa University, Japan. Her research interests include globalization, contemporary Asian immigration, transnational identity, STEM and STEAM education, and internationalization of higher education.
Deane E. Neubauer is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, and Co-Director of the Asia Pacific Higher Education Research Partnership at the East-West Center in Honolulu, USA.

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Redefining the Role of the University and the Social Sciences Within the Emergent Structures of Society 5.0.- Chapter 3: STEAM education in the case of engineering (Empowerment Informatics - Tsukuba University, Japan) and the art studies.- Chapter 4: Cultivating Future Competencies Through Interdisciplinary Education in a COVID-19 and Society 5.0 era.- Chapter 5: Fitting Round Pegs into Square Holes: Local Challenges to Implementing Liberal Arts Programs at Japanese HEIs.- Chapter 6: From Total Environment to Sustainable Development: Interdisciplinary Learning as the Cornerstone to a Survivable Future.- Chapter 7: Construction of a Learning Network for Linking STEM, Social Science and Humanities in Higher Education: Linking STEM, Social Science and Humanities in Higher Education.- Chapter 8: Convergence Education based on Liberal Arts: Focusing on Lecture-Pairing.- Chapter 9: How Does US STEM Higher Education Cultivate Global Competence Through Interdisciplinary Programs?.- Chapter 10: Who Gets a Global Competency? The Case of University in Japan.- Chapter 11: Can Students Learn Interdisciplinary Abilities when Participating in University Social Responsibility Projects? Case of Taiwan.- Chapter 12: Conclusion.