ABSTRACT
This chapter represents a wide-ranging discussion of the theoretical strands that inform rationale behind intentionally intervening in student learning abroad. It then presents the ITI model together with an empirical assessment of how students fare under the guided facilitation. Research on intercultural learning abroad has been focused heavily on US students in varying cultural "immersion" contexts. Additionally, Bennett's developmental model mirrors Perry's model of intellectual development, which posits a progression from dualistic thinking, through multiplicity and contextual relativism, to finally committed relativism. Students are provided with a series of assignments each week that are designed to stimulate engagement with the host culture. Notably, students frequently comment on how beneficial they found the assignments for forcing them into activities that they would not normally have done on their own. The increasing focus on learning outcomes, and the assessment of those outcomes within higher education in general, extends as well to the international education field.
