Boise State University’s online Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) prepares students for careers in instructional design, human resources, organizational development and consulting.
The program is unique in the fact that it offers the opportunity to participate in online, faculty-led research and development labs. These labs turn learning into action by helping students build business portfolios and make workplace connections using a more hands-on approach instead of traditional research methods. OPWL Professor Don Winiecki, who has a strong research background — having contributed to more than 30 publications — is also a big advocate for hands-on learning.
“Research isn’t about reading and regurgitating academic papers. It’s about learning new things through historically-influenced innovations and determining the results of doing those things,” he said.
To get to know the OPWL faculty and staff and learn more about these distinctive labs, we asked them to describe the focus of their research and development labs and explain what students can gain from taking part.
Current OPWL research and development labs
Here are the current labs being offered, with new labs in development for the Fall 2025 semester:
- Human Resource Development and Strategic Partnership Lab: Led by Jelena Pokimica, Ph.D.
- Interactive Learning Design Lab: Led by Rafael da Silva, Ph.D.
- Learning Strategy Lab: Led by Seth-Aaron Martinez, Ph.D.
- Process Management Lab: Led by Steve Villachica, Ph.D. and Rob Anson, Ph.D.
- Workplace-Oriented Research Central Lab: Led by Yonnie Chyung, Ph.D.
- Learning Systems and Design Lab (New): Led by Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb, Ph.D.
- Critical Human Resource Development Lab (New): Led by Eunbi Sim, Ph.D.
What drew you to the field of organizational performance and workplace learning?
Seth-Aaron Martinez, Learning Strategy Lab: “I was initially drawn to the field of learning and development through my love and fascination with adult learning, cognition and memory. The more I pursued advanced education in those areas, the more I was exposed to how it could be applied in organizational settings — and I very much wanted to apply it in organizational settings.”
Eunbi Sim, Critical Human Resource Development Lab: “Personal experiences, values and more.”
Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb, Learning Systems and Design Lab: “When I began teaching in higher education in 2008, I quickly saw how intentionally designed instruction, especially when grounded in real-life relevance, could change lives. That experience shaped my passion for designing meaningful learning experiences that are not only engaging but also useful to learners across settings.”
Jelena Pokimica, Human Resource Development and Strategic Partnership Lab: “The interplay of human resource development, organizational development, instructional design and human performance improvement.”
What can students expect from your research and development lab?
Pokimica: “Students can expect hands-on experience linking research and practice. Example projects have focused on learning organizations in occupational health settings, customized industrial design solutions for various industry clients, literature reviews and independent studies, as linked to lab and student needs. Our work is often featured at conferences and in journals, the most recent being at the ERAZ 2025 scientific conference in Barcelona, Spain.”
Martinez: “In my lab, we conduct original research and aim to publish everything we do. Students can expect to do some combination of the following: reading literature, summarizing, collecting data, analyzing data and writing up all of the above.”
Abramenka-Lachheb: “The Learning Systems and Design Lab investigates how learning occurs within complex systems, particularly in diverse workplace and organizational settings. Grounded in research and practice, our work bridges instructional design, human-computer interaction and user experience to understand and improve learning environments. We study how emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, can be ethically and effectively integrated into learning environments. We also pursue partnerships in applied data science to analyze large-scale learner and workplace data, uncover root causes of performance issues and generate evidence to inform better learning and organizational outcomes.”
What do you enjoy most about leading a research lab, and how do you see students growing through their participation?
Martinez: “My favorite part of my lab is the biweekly meetings with students. We meet to discuss the progress of the current project, answer any questions and make plans for the next two weeks. These meetings are edifying for everyone, including me. I enjoy seeing the ‘light’ turn on in the students’ minds through these discussions. I also enjoy seeing them become published authors.”
Pokimica: “I enjoy helping students grow in a methodical and systematic way by building research skills applicable in real-life situations and exposing them to both local and international human resource development.”
Abramenka-Lachheb: “What I enjoy most is seeing students connect research to practice in ways that are both rigorous and relevant. In the Learning Systems and Design Lab, students are not just learning to ‘do’ design, they’re learning to ask thoughtful questions, consider ethical implications and contribute to scholarship that aims to bring real-world application. It’s especially rewarding to see them gain clarity on how they can make a difference, not just by delivering training, but by understanding how they can improve human performance.”
How might participating in your lab help students address or overcome challenges in the learning and development field?
Abramenka-Lachheb: “One major challenge is the tendency to treat learning solutions as a default fix for performance problems. Another is the pressure to adopt new technologies like AI without clear understanding of their actual value or impact. In my lab, students learn to question assumptions, look at problems systemically and use evidence — whether qualitative or quantitative — to make informed decisions. That kind of critical thinking is essential in today’s complex, fast-moving environments.”
Sim: “Current political environments pose the biggest challenges…my lab continues to work on these important issues so that students may learn how to navigate these difficult situations and how workplaces should function in the face of oppression.”
Pokimica: “[Students learn discipline and how to honor deadlines.] So far, this has worked well in regard to research, but when independent studies are undertaken (and credit hours are involved), students need to pay particular attention to being timely and planning well for successful completion.”
How do you see the field evolving in the next five to 10 years?
Martinez: “There [will be] an increased need for a quantitative skillset. Whether it be data science, or advanced statistics or something else. I strongly believe that with advances in machine learning and AI, learning and development professionals will need to be savvy in quantitative techniques and able to incorporate quantitative data to inform their work.
And, yes, the same goes for professors, too. The techniques we taught a decade (or more) ago simply won’t fly like they once used to.”
Abramenka-Lachheb: “I see the field becoming more data-informed, more interdisciplinary and more focused on systems-level thinking. There will be increasing demand for learning and development professionals who can navigate complex change, assess performance holistically and design with ethics and equity in mind. That includes being able to speak across domains, such as design, strategy, tech and organizational culture.”
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.