Introduction to Instructional Development
Process and Technique
Castelle G. Gentry Michigan State University
Job Aid/Visitation
Presented by C. Colette Thompson
Description
A visitation is a carefully planned trip to some location to study some process or activity operating in another environment, for the purpose of determining the appro-
priateness of the process
Use Rationale
Reading about an innovation or hearing about it, is a far cry
from actually seeing it in operation and being able to question those running the
system
Critical Steps
Establish the need for the visit.
Determine the appropriate site for the visit
Get the client to agree to visit the site where innovation is in operation
Critical Step
Arrange for release of the client for visitation.
Critical Step
Get agreement from site personnel for the visit
Critical Step
Establish clearly specified objectives for the visit
Critical Step
Establish criteria to be applied to an innovation, during the visit, to determine if it meets the client’s needs.
Critical Step
Brief the client prior to visiting the installation.
Critical Step
Get agreement on who will be responsible for specific tasks during the visit
Critical Step
Schedule the visit with site personnel
Critical Step
Send an abbreviated statement of expectations to the site
Follow a plan during the visit
Be on time Refrain from being
critical of the innovator or of the innovation
Ask general questions of a specific contact, initially, to ensure that you are not curtailing innovator response, then get more specific in the latter part of meeting
Visit
Use planned times to correct and
consolidate notes on the most recent
contacts
Visit
Ask for examples of actual incidents
to support any declarative
statements made by site personnel about innovation
Visit
Always ask each contact at the end
of an interview. “What are the
major problems that we should look out for if we adopt
this innovation
Visit
Meet periodically with other team
members to share information and
questions, so that they can be on the lookout for answers and corroboration
of information
Visit
Be on the lookout for, and collect,
programs materials,
especially those that site personnel
have added to make the
innovation work
Critical Step
Generate an initial report on the visitation
Critical Step
Get additional input and recommendation from clients
Finial Critical Step in the Job Aid Visitation
Write and submit the final report with recommendations