ABSTRACT
While students, professors, and researchers have been moving internationally for years, if not centuries, it has only been in the last two decades that there has been this renaissance in academic program and provider mobility. Moreover, it is only 10 years since education has been included in international trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). ese fundamental changes warrant closer scrutiny. e rst section of the chapter traces the evolution of international education over the past ve decades by analyzing the changes in language and key concepts to describe the international dimension of higher education. is provides the necessary context to look at crossborder education and the related terms of transnational, borderless, and trade in education services. In the following section, an analytical framework, which emphasizes the movement of academic people, programs, providers, projects, and policies across borders, is discussed. Of critical importance is the recognition that academic mobility happens through development cooperation projects, through educational exchanges and partnerships, and through commercial trade. Given the diversity of entities providing education, plus the various modes of program and provider mobility, three typologies are proposed to capture and clarify the major characteristics of each group. Building on this analysis, the most recent trends are introduced and labeled second generation cross-border education strategies. ese include education hubs, academic cities, and gateways. e motivations, expectations, and appeal of cross-border education vary among dierent stakeholders (students, institutions, governments), and between sending and receiving countries. erefore an in-depth look at the rationales driving cross-border education is provided to get a 360 degree view of the issues. Finally, the last section identies some of the emerging issues and challenges such as equity of student access, quality assurance, accreditation, recognition of qualications, GATS, and the brain train.
