Classes and Scheduling

This one-credit course is offered in the first five-week session of fall and spring semesters and can be applied to the program’s research or elective requirements. Survey questionnaires are often used to assist data-driven decisions during needs assessments, evaluations, and other learning and performance improvement interventions. Using a theory-to-practice approach and based on research-based evidence and expert knowledge, this course teaches how to design survey instruments with closed-ended questions and how to analyze quantitative data.

This one-credit course is offered in the second five-week session of spring and summer semesters and can be applied to the program’s research or elective requirements. Interviews provide important data to professionals during needs assessment, evaluation, learning design, and change management. This course provides practical skills and tools necessary for planning and conducting individual and group interviews. It will also introduce evidence-based approaches to data analysis to facilitate data-driven decisions.

This one-credit course is offered in the third five-week sessions of summer and fall semesters and can be applied to the program’s research or elective requirements. Visual representation of data is increasingly important for data-driven decision making. Data visualization techniques allow professionals to represent information and derive meaning of the data. Students will learn the value of visualization, specific techniques in information and scientific visualization, and ways to leverage visualization methods.

This two-credit course is offered in seven-week sessions. Students learn what’s required for a successful contracting or consulting practice and explore steps they would need to take to be successful. Students study selected business requirements for self-employment, consultant-specific work products, and consulting scenarios. Assignments include creating a sample proposal and defining a contracting/consulting business. This online course uses a blended approach, requiring students to participate in three (3) 1.5 hour synchronous meetings (TBD) as well as participating in asynchronous learning during the course.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the first ten-week session of fall and summer semesters. Through hands-on practice, students demonstrate emerging foundational knowledge and skills required to use e-learning authoring tools and develop performance-based e-learning objects to support workplace learning. Students will produce a video, a web-based instructional module, a scenario-based e-learning object, and a final project with supporting design documentation.

Please view this video and complete this system requirements checklist to confirm you can take OPWL 523.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the second ten-week session of spring and summer semesters. Students will learn foundational principles for implementing e-learning solutions and learning management/content management systems. Students will evaluate e-learning demo programs and study the use of reusable learning objects, sharable content objects, metadata and e-learning standards in the current e-learning practice. Students will develop sample multimedia learning objects and implement them on a learning management system.

This three-credit elective course is offered every fall semester. Students will learn how to design engaging and interactive learning interventions using game-based learning (GBL) theories, as well as how to gamify the learning process by including game mechanics, game-design elements, and game principles to engage and motivate the learner to accomplish the desired learning outcomes.

This required four-credit course is offered in the 15-week session of fall and spring semesters.
Through analysis of case studies, guided practice, field work, and other methods, students learn to use tools, data, and systematic methods to identify and assess current or future performance problems and their causes, and help decision makers target critical problems with feasible solutions. Students will conduct an authentic team project. PREREQ: OPWL536.

This required four-credit course is offered in the 15-week session of fall and spring semesters. Students learn how to conduct formative and summative evaluations of instructional or performance improvement programs implemented in organizations. Students explore principles, models, and frameworks for evaluation, and conduct a full-scale evaluation, working with real clients and stakeholders. PREREQ: OPWL 536.

This three-credit course is offered in ten-week sessions every fall and summer semester and can be applied to the program’s research requirements. Students learn how to design research and apply statistical analysis methods to conduct quantitative studies in organizational contexts. Students also review various empirical research reports in order to become educated consumers of research and contribute to improving organizational performance. PREREQ: OPWL536 or PERM/INST.

This required four-credit course is offered in 15-week sessions every fall and spring semester. Students explore how contemporary adult learning theories and practices are applied to the field of workplace learning and performance improvement, particularly with respect to the instructional design process. They will investigate methods, strategies and technologies that are known to affect adult learners’ learning outcomes. Students will apply adult learning principles to organizational situations in industry, government, military, and non-profit settings.

This required four-credit course is offered in 15-week sessions every fall, spring and summer semester. Students study guiding principles of human performance improvement and apply relevant theories and models, from classic to contemporary, to real or realistic organizational situations in industry, government, military, and non-profit settings.

This required four-credit course is offered in 15-week sessions every fall and spring semester. This course follows a systematic and systemic instructional design process and employs methods and strategies involved in designing elective instructional interventions for the workplace. Working with a real client, students complete a performance oriented instructional design project in phases over the duration of the course. PREREQ: OPWL 535 and OPWL 536.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the first ten-week session of spring semesters.

This is a project-based, team-based course where students engage in human-centered approaches of learner experience design while managing the risks of creating innovative solutions, tackling complex problems, and thinking creatively in situations with significant constraints. Students apply experience design tools and practices, including design thinking, personas, ideation, and rapid prototyping. PREREQ: OPWL535 and OPWL536.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the first ten-week session of spring and summer semesters. Students create a high-level design document and storyboard for a branching scenario-based e-learning object. Students also learn how to select a design approach best suited for learners who would access the e-learning via mobile devices, desktops, laptops, or any combination of those devices.

This required four-credit course is offered in 15-week sessions every fall and spring semester.

Students examine the process models, non-instructional solutions, professional practice issues, and future trends of performance improvement which aim to improve performance in the workplace. In a hands-on individual project, students practice applying the performance improvement process to recommend effective performance solutions. PREREQ: OPWL 536, and OPWL 529 or OPWL 530.

This two-credit elective course is offered in the first seven-week session of summer semesters.

Students will be exposed to the characteristics that constitute culture in organizations. In addition, students will learn how to define, identify, and purposefully influence culture to support organizational mission, values and goals. This is done through an examination of current theories and concepts and applying them to real-world examples of organizational cultures identified by the students and their own experiences.

One credit. Students explore project management definitions, planning, managing, and reviewing parts of projects, as well as, examining practical knowledge of the pieces of a project plan including project scope, work breakdown structure, schedules, and resources.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the first ten-week session of spring and odd-year summer semesters. Students will learn basic principles related to the top-down and bottom-up change processes, and analytical and planning tools that can be used to facilitate change within an organization. Students will practice applying those principles and tools in real organizational situations.

This three-credit elective course is offered in the first ten-week session of even-year summer semesters. Students will learn basic principles related to helping organizations plan, implement, and evaluate business practices that are environmentally, socially, and financially balanced. The course combines principles of design, systems thinking, change management, and evaluation. COREQ: OPWL 536.

This one-credit elective course is offered in the first five-week session of fall and rotated summer semesters. This course is about uncovering and starting to understand the complex entities and interrelationships that shape our daily lives.

Note: This course is used by OPWL students as an internship experience. A prospectus requiring faculty sponsor, employer, and student agreement must be submitted before registering for the course; a brief report endorsed by the employer is required at the end of the semester; the student’s final grade is determined by the faculty sponsor. OPWL students may count no more than a total of 3 semester hours of OPWL 590 to their program.

This course is a minimum of one credit and is offered in fall, spring and summer semesters. A broad-based selection of significant student work that is used to appraise student performance and professional development. A portfolio reflects the depth and breadth of a student’s educational growth since entering the graduate program. Pass/fail (P/F) only.

Minimum of six credits. Independent research or creative activity at the master’s level resulting in a thesis that must be defended at a final oral examination and archived in the university library. The thesis must be written in clear and effective English and presented in a format that conforms to the standards of the Graduate College. Pass/fail (P/F) only.

The conduct of topical research, assigned readings or literature review. The faculty advisor and the student prepare and sign an agreement describing the amount and type of work to be accomplished. Note: With the aid of a faculty sponsor, the student selects a cohesive set of readings and then discusses them with the faculty member on an agreed-upon schedule throughout the semester. The planned reading list may be changed (with faculty approval) to respond to emphases and interests stimulated by initial reading. Students are expected to do at least 50 hours of reading, thinking, and conferring for each credit hour earned.

Advanced study of a specialized topic; design and completion of a project may be included in the study. The student works with a high degree of independence to meet well-defined goals under the supervision of a member of the graduate faculty. Requires submission of a completed Application for Independent Study prior to the deadline specified in the academic calendar.

This three-credit elective course is offered in seven-week sessions. This course focuses on effectively facilitating groups, the nature of groups and group dynamics, points of intervention, and effective use of group guidance tools. The course relies on a facilitation process model and case studies for practical applications. Theories of human values, decision-making, communication, conflict management and alike are used. (PreReq: NONE)

This three-credit elective course is offered in seven-week sessions. This class is part of the online OPWL Masters program. The cost for a class in this program is on a per-credit basis, whether you attend as a part-time or full-time student. These fees do not provide students access to the Student Recreation Center, University Health Services, or tickets to athletic events. Fee waivers do not apply to this class. Downloading a third party proctoring software may be needed in the administration of assessments such as quizzes and tests.

This one-credit elective course is offered in five-week sessions. Organizations are increasingly responding to the need for initiatives that address workplace inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). This course provides training and development and performance improvement professionals with real-world examples, strategies, and resources needed for planning and implementing IDEA initiatives. (PreReq: NONE)

This one-credit elective course is offered in five-week sessions and is graded on a PASS/FAIL basis. In this course, you will learn techniques to optimize your professional social media profile to build your professional presence online. This can help you build authentic relationships with peers and grow your own social capital which can lead to work or partnership opportunities during your career journey. This class requires weekly Zoom meetings that will be scheduled based on instructor and student availability.

Research conducted by a graduate student under the supervision of a member of the graduate faculty. Requires the clear statement of a hypothesis or proposition, a review of the relevant literature, analysis and synthesis of data or scholarly evidence, and the inference of conclusions. The results must be stated in a report written in clear and effective English. Requires submission of an Application for Directed Research prior to the deadline specified in the academic calendar.