Transnational Education

Linking Partnership Models and Internationalisation Objectives

International education is no longer limited to student and staff exchanges, or the recruitment of foreign students to the home campus. While still in its early days, the provision of education across the borders, often in the student’s home country, is becoming an important element of European higher education provision, and a significant tool for increasing the attractiveness and visibility of European institutions abroad. This article, based on the results of a large-scale European study, looks at the main motivations and objectives in engaging in transnational education provision at the institutional level, with a special focus on various ‘internationalisation’ objectives. It considers how aspects of practical implementation – especially in terms of partnerships – need to be evaluated in relation to the institutional objectives.