From a Visit to a Learning Outcome: Designing a Shenzhen Study Day

Use a question that can survive a change of venue

Consider a simple question: what makes a new technology usable by someone encountering it for the first time? Students can investigate this through a product interface, an explanation by staff or the steps needed to use a service. The question is specific enough to guide observation, but it does not depend on one device being available on the day. This is a proposed teaching framework for faculty to adapt.

Define the expected output before arranging the route. A short comparison of two experiences may be more useful than a list of everything the group saw. Ask students to identify a user, a task, a difficulty and the support provided. Their final explanation should show which observations support their conclusion.

Prepare students to notice something specific

Before the first visit, let small groups predict what could make the experience easy or difficult. Give each group a different focus: instructions, physical interaction, staff support or what happens when the task cannot be completed. Students then have a reason to look closely and compare notes. They should request permission before interviewing people, recording a conversation or handling equipment.

Bring a compact worksheet rather than a lengthy questionnaire. Record the location, the activity and the conditions observed. Leave room for an unanswered question. This helps students explain the limits of their evidence when they return to the classroom.

Match the visit format to the task

An observation task may work in a public consumer-technology setting. A question about how a company develops or operates a system may require an arranged introduction. INNO100, for example, distinguishes individual walk-in visits from advance group arrangements and offers group guiding in Chinese or English. The organiser still needs to confirm the intended date, group format and any particular activity with the venue.

A booked group introduction and a hands-on workshop serve different purposes. If students need to make something, test a specific device or speak with a specialist, describe that requirement separately. A general visit description should not be used to assume that equipment, instruction or dedicated discussion space will be provided.

Make reflection part of the schedule

Pause after the first experience while details are fresh. Ask groups to compare their predictions with what happened. A later stop can then test one revised question instead of repeating the same activity. Leave a final session for synthesis, with a clear prompt and a faculty member or an agreed discussion leader responsible for it.

• Observed: what did you actually see or do?
• Explained: what did a host or product label tell you?
• Inferred: what do you think follows, and why?
• Unresolved: what additional evidence would change your interpretation?

Take a usable output back to the course

A suitable closing task is a one-page comparison with one supported conclusion and one next research question. Canterbury's published China course connects field visits with work before and after travel; it is an example of academic integration, not a requirement to copy its assessment. Your institution decides whether the output is graded. The organiser's role is to help protect the time and arrangements needed for the agreed learning activities.