Quality and Recognition in Higher Education : The Cross-border Challenge

Cross-border education is undergoing new and growing developments such as e-learning, for-profit providers, joint campuses and transnational consortia. These changes are challenging existing national quality assurance and accreditation frameworks and agencies. At the same time, increasing student and professional mobility across borders has emphasised the importance of mutual recognition of academic and professional qualifications. This book gives an updated overview of how a number of countries are dealing with these challenges as well as examining international frameworks on recognition of qualifications including UNESCO Regional Conventions and trade agreements.A key conclusion from this overview is that the national framework of quality assurance, accreditation and recognition of degrees is, in many cases, insufficiently geared towards addressing the quality of cross-border and private provision. This increases the risk that learners are victims of rogue degree providers (degree mills), offering low quality educational experiences and qualifications of limited value. In order to fill in this gap of the existing frameworks, OECD and UNESCO are currently working together on developing non-binding international guidelines on "Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education".