From the concert stage in Thailand to the classroom in Italy, and now to the world of instructional design, Allyson Briner’s career has been anything but ordinary.
Briner enrolled in Boise State University’s online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) while living in Italy with her husband. She graduated in March 2024.
“I taught French and English literature for eight years in an international school in Italy,” she said. “While I loved the creativity of teaching, I felt I was ready to step outside the classroom and explore something new.
“The field of instructional design aligned very well with my skillset, interests and the flexibility that I wanted.”
While looking for online OPWL programs back home in the United States, Briner found one that checked all the boxes for her higher education needs. She also started working as an instructional designer while enrolled.
“I did a ton of research into different programs and Boise State seemed to be a sweet spot, quality-to-price wise,” she said. “The reviews I read of the program were consistently very positive.”
The flexibility of the online format was also key because of the eight-hour time difference between Italy and Idaho.
“My online teaching certification felt like a long series of boxes to check,” she said. “As such, I had hesitations about doing another online program.
“However, my experience with the OPWL program was night and day, in terms of quality. Schedule-wise it suited me well. Of course, the 2 a.m. classes weren’t so convenient.”
Global entity
Briner is from Seattle. She graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance in 2010.
After living in Thailand for three years and working as a concert artist and vocal coach, Briner moved to Italy to begin her career as an educator and curriculum developer in Italy.
Now nearly two years into her third career, Briner has a master’s degree to go along with her real-world experience.
“The courses were each interesting and instructive in and of themselves, but the real value was in how they complemented each other,” she said. “Kudos to the designers who created this learning journey.”
“The combination of eLearning development with Rafael Da Silva, Instructional Design with Lisa Giacumo and Needs Assessment with Donald Winiecki helped turn me into a well-rounded designer.”
Briner could immediately apply what she was learning from the OPWL courses to her position, giving her nearly immediate ROI.
“I most heavily use the eLearning design and performance improvement aspects of the curriculum,” she said. “Gilbert’s Six Boxes Model still haunts me every day, but in a good way.”
Briner also benefited from interacting with her fellow online students and their perspectives and knowledge.
“OPWL was valuable in so many ways, but by far the most valuable aspect was learning from my classmates and the wealth of experience they brought into the program,” she said. “I also met a dear friend and collaborator in this program who I now work with on a daily basis, the one and only Mariola Diawara.”
Pitch perfect
Briner credits her family and friends with giving her a strong support system throughout her 14 months in the OPWL program.
“I was fortunate that my husband was supportive of me going back to school,” she said. “In addition to his support, knowing that friends and family were proud of me gave me confidence.”
Because she lives abroad, Briner could not attend the commencement ceremony, but she is reaping the rewards of her hard work.
“This program helped me immensely in providing real-world projects and opportunities,” she said. “I know not everyone enjoys having real projects, because they are much messier than ‘theoretical’ ones.”
“It was those messy moments where I learned some key lessons. They also gave me some great stories for job interviews.”
In her free time, Briner enjoys singing, playing with her dog and traveling, along with another interesting aspect of her life.
“My biggest hobby is making perfume,” she said. “My home office looks like a normal office, but hidden in the shelves are hundreds of essences and raw materials from around the world.”
Earning a degree from another country with a significant time difference was not easy, but Briner is happy she chose to do so at Boise State.
“Online learning can be lonely, so it takes intention and effort to make connections,” she said. “It’s so worthwhile, though.”
“Worst-case scenario, someone doesn’t respond or isn’t interested. Best-case scenario, you could meet a lifelong friend.”
Learn more about the Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning program
Earning an online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.