This document discusses intra and inter-regional cooperation in higher education. It describes cooperation within Europe through programs like Erasmus that promote student mobility. It also discusses inter-regional projects between Europe and Latin America like NetACTIVE and between Europe, Central Asia, and China called ACTIVE Asia that aim to increase virtual student mobility. Finally, it mentions several other international university networks and organizations that facilitate cooperation across regions.

1. Intra and Inter-Regional Cooperation
Prof. Dr. J. Francisco Álvarez
jalvarez@fsof.uned.es
Member of Executive Committees:
AIESAD (Asociación Iberoamericana de Educación Superior a Distancia)
and EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities)
Vice-rector UNED ( National Distance Training University) Spain
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

2. Universities should be active
agents in globalisation process
• “A global multi-level governance system in which world regions are
becoming important is taking shape. This ‘new regionalism’
paradigm is a multidimensional form of integration, which includes
economic, political, social, and cultural aspects and thus goes far
beyond the goal of creating region-based free trade regimes or
security alliances of earlier regionalisms”.
C. de Prado Yepes
“Regionalisation of higher education services in Europe and East Asia and potential for
global change”. Asia Europe Journal. 2007;5(1), 84.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

3. Globalisation and regionalisation
• If globalisation has a strong normative dimension, regionalisation is
interestingly the result of a mix of political will, pragmatism, and of
spontaneous economic and cultural forces. Yet, before looking for
confirmation of this assertion in the review of some regionalisation
experiences, it is worth recalling the flexibility of the concept of region.
• The boundaries of any region depend upon the choice of those who decide
to belong to it. The dictionary gives the following definition of a region: “Region: a
relatively large territory, possessing physical and human characteristics that make it a
unity distinct from neighbouring regions or within a whole that includes it”. Indeed, this
definition fits with the practice of using the word region to designate a part of a
country as well as a group of countries, small or large, depending on the unifying
characteristics retained.
• The region is therefore likely to be better suited in analysing societal
behaviours and in making decisions than the global world from which, by
definition no one can decide to escape.
Berthelot, Yves (2005: 3)
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

4. INTRA-Regional
European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
• The Bologna Declaration(1999) and the Lisbon
Special European Council (2000) laid down a
series of initiatives aimed at achieving some
ambitious targets in the field of higher education,
to be reached by 2010. The mobility of
professional was considered as a key factor for
citizenship.
Socrates/Erasmus programme, which has been operating for
more than 30 years now.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

5. European Area
• From learning agreement (Erasmus) to
Credit Transfer
• European Credit Transfer System
(ECTS)
Two main issues may be identified with respect to mobility:
the additional cost entailed and current difficulties in the recognition of
academic qualifications, both of wich are significant when making
mobility proposals for third countries.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

6. INTRA and INTER
The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and
its strive for internationalisation: 48 countries
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

7. NET ACTIVE
Bases and proposals for good practices in
virtual academic mobility
• Distance and virtual education offer solutions to
many of the situations involving student mobility,
and also establish the grounds for an exchange
beyond the borders of the European Community
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

8. An inter-regional project with a
clear target
• The NetACTIVE (AIESAD-EADTU: Credit Transfer in
Virtual and Distance Education) project, coordinated
by UNED through its UNESCO Chair of Distance
Education, as part of the Erasmus-Mundus
programme was born with the aim of making a
proposal to increase the mobility of Master students,
receiving distance teaching in whole or part, through
the virtual mobility of third countries towards Europe.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

9. Inter-regional cooperation
• Two of the most important distance higher education
associations are involved. AIESAD (Iberoamerican ) and
EADTU( European)
• Both associations have joined efforts in the
implementation of this project. They both represent over
70 higher education institutions in more of thirty
countries. All the European and Latin American partners
count on a long experience in mobility programmes,
providing complementary perspectives to plan and
schedule it.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

10. INTER-Regional: Europe-America-Asia
ACTIVE ASIA: Credit Transfer In Virtual and distance
Education
• Several countries in Central Asia have acquired experience in the use ECTS through
the participation in TEMPUS projects, which constitutes a great advantages, in order
to its diffusion in other Asian regions.
• Project "ACTIVE Asia" aims to use the active tools to extend the promotion of the
European Higher Education Space in this region in Central Asia and China using
virtual and distance teaching methodology.
• Its specific aims are:
• to share with the participant institutions the advantages, tools and procedures of
virtual exchange
• to establish a sustainable Centre of Virtual Mobility Support in the region
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

11. ACTIVE ASIA: ASIA-EUROPE (2008-
2010) on project ACTIVE (2005 - 2007)
Based
• After appropriate research in the area, the ACTIVE outputs and
methodology will be adapted in order to develop a valid virtual
schema with institutions of Central Asia and China. The joint
development of distance language and culture courses to help
students to prepare physical mobility will be also considered.
• Project ACTIVE Asia aims to facilitate the participation of Asiatic
institutions and students in high quality European postgraduate
courses.
Beneficiary
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE EDUCACIÓN A DISTANCIA-UNED
Partners
KZ-AL-FARABI KAZAKH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
CN-ANSHAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY ES-ASOCIACION IBEROAMERICANA DE EDUCACION
SUPERIOR A DISTANCIA FR-CENTRE NATIONAL D'ENSEIGNEMENT A DISTANCE
PT-INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO DE LEIRIA
KG-J. BALASSAGYN KYRGYZ NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

12. Virtual as LLL mainstream education
EUROPEAN PORTAL FOR INTERNATIONAL
COURSES AND SERVICES
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

13. Partnership
EPICS
European Universities (NL) Universidad Nacional de
Educación a Distancia (ES) EuroPACE (BE)
Swedish Agency for Networks and Cooperation in Higher
Education (SE)
Open Universiteit Nederland (NL) Open University (UK)
Estonian Information Technology Foundation (EE) Università
Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO (IT) Universidade
Aberta (PT) Anadolu University (TR) Zentrum for Fernstudien
Schweiz (CH) Association of Distance Teaching
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

14. AVICENNA VIRTUAL CAMPUS
UNESCO (SC/AP) and the European Commission (initiated in 2002 on 3 years) a large project
called AVICENNA VIRTUAL CAMPUS within the framework of EUMEDIS programme. The
Avicenna project intends to create a Euro-Mediterranean network of universities for elearning.
The aim of the Avicenna project is to accelerate the adoption and use of ICTassisted
Open Distance Learning (ODL) in 15 Mediterranean universities.
The following institutions hosting an Avicenna Knowledge Centre :
Algeria (Université de la Formation Continue).Cyprus (University of Cyprus)
Egypt (Faculty of Computer and Information). France (Université de la Méditerranée)
Italy (Network per l’Università Ovunque NETTUNO
Jordan (Philadelphia University in Amman). Lebanon (Lebanese University)
Malta (Malta Council for Science and Technology)
Morocco (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Informatique et d’Analyse des Systèmes)
Palestinian Authority (Al Quds Open University)
Spain (Universidad National de Educacion a Distancia UNED)
Syria (University of Damascus)
Tunisia (Institut Supérieur de l’Education et de la Formation Continue in Tunis)
Turkey (Middle East Technical University), and
United Kingdom (Open University).
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

15. 3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

16. Reform of Higher Education through International
University Cooperation. European Commission
Demand for e-learning in the target Universities and societies is clearly identified, as
ODL may bring wider access to University-based initial and continuing education.
The network organization will be stimulated and comforted by the engagement of some of
the European Union.s leading open universities, under the aegis of UNESCO.
The Avicenna campus aims to construct a network capable of transferring knowledge
between entry points in each participating country known as Avicenna Knowledge
Centres. This implies that all the Centres respect a common norm with regard to
technology.
Avicenna include an educational virtual library. .Cross-fertilization. of the
different contents made available by participating universities will be encouraged.
Students are also sure to appreciate the possibility of having credits gained from one
Centre acknowledged by other participating universities.
For more information, please consult the Avicenna Web: http://avicenna.unesco.org
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

17. A World of SCIENCE, Vol. 4, No. 4, October – December 2006
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

18. • America Organisation of American
• States
• Inter-American Organisation for Higher Education
• since 1979
• North American Free Trade
• Agreement
• Consortium for North American Higher
• Education Collaboration since 1990s
• Latin America Unión de Universidades de América Latina, 1949
• Organización de Estados Iberoamerianos para la
• Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura
• Andean Pact Convenio Andrés Bello since 1970
• Mercosur Grupo Montevideo since 1991
• Africa Southern Africa
• Development Cooperation
• Protocol of Education and Training since 1997
• African Union 2006-2011 plan to develop peace through education, in
• connection with sub-regional processes and linking
• with my countries and international organisations
• Arab world League of Arab States Not yet
• Gulf Cooperation Council Exchange of faculty and students since 1985
• Europe Council of Europe Facilitating education collaboration since 1949
• European Union (and
• economic associates)
• Ministerial Councils supervise the Erasmus
• programme of the European Commission since
• 1987.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009

19. Bibliography
• Berthelot, Yves. Regionalisation and Globalisation: Two
Concomitant Dynamics in Need of Coherent Institutions. En:
Semináro Internacional REG GEN: Alternativas Globalização (8 al
13 de Octubre de 2005) Rio de Janeiro, Brasil : UNESCO,
http://bibliotecavirtual.clacso.org.ar/ar/libros/reggen/pp20.p
• de Prado Yepes, César. "Regionalisation of Higher Education
Services in Europe and East Asia and Potential for Global Change."
Asia Europe Journal 5, no. 1 (2007): 83-92.
• Song, Weiqing. "Regionalisation, Inter-Regional Cooperation and
Global Governance." Asia Europe Journal 5, no. 1 (2007): 67-82.
3rd Global Meeting of Association of Universities .
Guadalajara, Mexico. April 20th – 22nd, 2009