The purpose of this paper is to report on a project to develop cultural awareness and knowledge of the tourism profession; and to bring the team of students to Amman, Jordan to facilitate the first ever-global webcast of a conference. Within the international experience itself, the major components of the overall project involved grant writing, technological hands-on training, international student presentations, and the production of a professional videotape. The possibility of gaining such access had been made possible through the Undergraduate Research/ Experiential Learning Grant (UREL Grant) offered by the College of Education at UNI, which provided the ideal avenue for undergraduate and graduate students to seize this extraordinary opportunity.
The significance of the project was multi-faceted. The project required UNI students to learn skills that would be both practical and meaningful in their future professions. This paper will describe the current research available that supports the need and benefits of international experiences and experiential learning to the student
