Developing Intercultural Competence and Transformation: Mexican and US Variations on a Common Model

This session addresses the effectiveness of combining theory, research, and curriculum design in delivering an intercultural course (both on-line and in situ) that connects students across the globe and on our campuses in Mexico and in the US around common intercultural challenges from the vantage points of many different cultural contexts. Panelists from three different universities (one in Mexico and two in the US) will present their variations on a common intervention model that utilizes an empirical assessment instrument as both a learning tool and a means of measuring intercultural development with pre- and post-study abroad testing. Presenters will speak to the effectiveness of the model in their specific institutional contexts, describe the implementation of each, and offer tips on how to adopt and adapt the model to varying institutional and study abroad program constraints and opportunities.