What will the profile of international education be a decade from now? Demography and demand present pragmatic challenges. What will be the role of distance learning, cross-border partnerships and for-profit providers in response to this? Who will the millions of students be and what will they look for? How will
governments stimulate and regulate the tertiary systems that their countries need?
We look at a range of emerging economies and ask whether a new model of provision could create a further quantum leap towards greater access, lower cost and higher quality like that achieved by the open universities a generation ago. Could these countries then become the dominant cross-border providers? We also examine the world's many small states, where governments and students need a new blend of tertiary provision for their growing needs. Open educational resources and galloping connectivity will be important agents of change in countries both large and small - but will also create new challenges of quality assurance and the recognition of learning for employment purposes. How will learners become active partners in this emerging global enterprise and what are the most effective ways of empowering them to make informed decisions?