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The current discussions on the internationalization of higher education place great emphasis on distance learning and massive open courses. They offer new possibilities for sharing knowledge with a large number of people, without any other resources than a connected computer. Thereby, they constitute a promising tool for international transfer or sharing, since the borders of countries are erased by digital transmission. They can dissolve asymmetries of access to training and prevent brain drain by providing local access to knowledge. We must first observe the qualities we attribute to this type of distance courses, in their concrete developments and their representations. Secondly, it is important to examine how these new forms interact with traditional student mobility, either compensating for it or being combined with it. Finally, we need to develop a strategic approach and reflect on the possibilities offered by these new technical and organizational options for a renewed and open intellectual cooperation. Such an approach requires a creative mindset to consider the new pedagogical uses made possible by these devices and an ability to take a step back from the dominant conformist practices.