Features of Higher Education Development in the Context of both Cross-Border Regions and Transregions

Education has always been one of the instruments of international relations. The development of integration processes in the field of higher education and student mobility contribute to greater integration of both the state and a separate region into international economic, transport, cultural, information and communication processes. The role of regional universities is growing, which, along with national and regional structures, become independent actors and can influence the educational policy of the region, relying on the urgent needs of the regional educational space. Cooperation in the cross-border region is effective due to the already established relations with each other and understanding of cultural differences, developed economic and social ties, and the proximity of universities. For cross-border regions, higher education is becoming a strategic investment and a means of economic and social development, which provides conditions for the creation of a more competitive economic bloc. The formation of educational clusters promotes the integration of values, ethics and mutual respect of cultures, on the one hand, and independence and attractiveness of universities, on the other hand, turning them into influential actors of international relations. Due to the expansion of international cooperation between universities along with the internationalization of education peripheral universities cannot be regarded as second-rate universities. In the new realities of both cross-border and transregional cooperation, the strategic integration of universities will be aimed at the economic and socio-cultural sustainable development of the region. Strategic partnerships within the framework of regional integration are a part of a broader university internationalization strategy and lead to increased networking of universities, the emergence of university associations and alliances, and creation of cross-border universities. Networking helps universities to adapt their curricula to changing labor market conditions and respond more quickly to significant changes in other areas (economic crisis, pandemic, specifics of political conjunctures). A significant reduction and a more reasonable structure of their costs will allow network members to focus on their core competencies and eliminate duplication of a number of functions. Academic mobility, as an important component of cross-border education, follows certain laws of migration. To make cross-border educational ties operate sustainably, it takes time to overcome communication barriers (linguistic, socio-cultural, institutional, information technology and financial) and create personal networks and channels that ensure safety and psychological comfort for a student while adapting to another culture. While the European Commission is of the opinion that the introduction of online education is an attempt to overcome these barriers and provide wider access to quality education abroad, practical experience shows that online education cannot replace face-to-face communication in the classroom. Over the past 10 months of online education at universities, a number of shortcomings and problems of this form of education have been identified, which, despite its obvious advantages, can cause great damage to the quality of higher education.