In the present digital age, students and professionals can interact and collaborate anywhere in the world through multiple means of communication. This article analyzes the scientific evidence of intercultural competencies in higher education from January 2016 to August 2021 out of the publications available in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in 325 articles being selected for review. The findings denote the relevance of this thematic area in teaching language, international experiences, virtuality, and collaborative learning. The approach with the highest incidence was qualitative research for case study designs, and the research trends proposed by the authors highlight intercultural education and virtual interaction to support global collaboration. The present work describes the studies carried out in this field in the last six years and aims to be valuable for future research related to educational innovation, the development of intercultural competencies, and international cooperation.

Technological tools in education open new learning possibilities. This proposal describes integrating augmented reality and different educational elements to develop engineering competencies, specifically using specialized machinery in the manufacturing laboratory. It is necessary to encourage self-management of learning, where users interact with the devices employing an application that contains significant information about procedures to perform and essential elements to consider when manipulating the machinery. The machines involved include industrial robots, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) lathes and milling machines, and PLCs (Programmable Logic Controls). In a traditional training model, an instructor guides the users in learning how to manipulate the equipment. This proposal intends that the participants use their mobile devices to receive each machine's instruction and the necessary documentation. The participants' learning pace varies. So, the research aimed to reduce the deficit in the disciplinary competencies since, in the traditional methodology, there is no heterogeneity in understanding the contents. We designed a competency development strategy with six laboratory practices, integrating multimedia elements to address the significant learning content of each manufacturing cell device. Each lesson contained information about each device and a practice activity and self-evaluation to ensure learning the content.

The development of intercultural competencies enables individuals to have appropriate knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures and to interact and relate effectively in different multicultural settings. This document aims to present the status of a doctoral thesis investigating the advancement of intercultural and global competencies in university students using a Metaverse that fosters international collaboration. A status report is presented regarding the review of literature and the sequential-explanatory design of a mixed methodology for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. The objective is to use the findings to propose an innovative, technologically based educational model that enhances intercultural competencies in higher education students.