Organizational Performance & Workplace Learning

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Application Deadline

Spring 2022: November 19, 2021
Start Date: January 10, 2022

Earn an online Master’s degree in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning (OPWL) and online certificates in instructional design, e-learning, and performance improvement.

100% Online, Fully Accredited!

Apply Today!

The Department of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning will continue online as we have for the past 30 years and will continue to be flexible and adapt to student needs that now may arise due to COVID-19.

Boise State Covid-19 Response

We, Boise State University’s OPWL department, started our online master’s degree program in 1989 – a year in advance of the debut of the World Wide Web! For over 30 years, we have been offering practitioner-oriented online courses to training and development professionals seeking to:

• develop their instructional design skills,
• transform their instructional design projects into performance-based training and development, and
• expand their instructional design toolkit to include other essential skills such as:
  • needs assessment,
  • evaluation,
  • e-learning design and development, and
  • performance improvement practices.

Our online master’s and certificate programs offer courses that help new professionals develop foundational skills so they can break into the field. In addition to coursework, we provide you with:

• internships to gain workplace experiences working as a virtual member of an instructional design team, and
• a 1-credit coaching class in which you are partnered one-on-one with a veteran of the field and certified coach. While partnered with a career coach, you will update your resume, align your cover letter to jobs you are targeting, and practice your job interview skills.

Our curriculum is also well-suited for the seasoned training and development professional seeking to move into a senior management or instructional design and performance improvement leadership role. Experienced instructional designers and performance improvement professionals come to our courses to:

• update existing skills with new theories and emerging practices, and
• often partner with faculty on conference presentations or article publications, as well as participate on faculty research via our virtual research labs.

In addition to the Master of Science (MS) degree in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning, we offer three graduate certificates in:

• Workplace Instructional Design (WIDe),
• Workplace E-Learning Design and Development (WELDD), and
• Workplace Performance Improvement (WPI).

The online graduate certificate programs can be earned in conjunction with the master’s degree and have been valuable credentials for instructional designers, training and development, and performance improvement professionals, wanting to:

• focus on coursework that addresses the theoretical underpinnings of day-to-day instructional design processes,
• learn best practices in instructional design, e-learning design and development, and performance improvement, and
• research, apply, and evaluate the latest tools, technology, and innovations that are driving the way business is done and will be done in the future!

In the OPWL online courses, you don’t just learn from books; you learn from real-world projects:

• You complete needs assessment, instructional design, and evaluation projects for real clients.
• You create storyboards and develop your storyboards into e-learning modules using e-learning software such as Articulate Storyline, Captivate, and Camtasia.
• You design and apply performance improvement and change management strategies to the workplace.
• You develop survey and interview instruments, analyze data, and create visuals to enhance your data storytelling.
• For those seeking a deeper dive into instructional design, you can take our advanced instructional design course that covers design thinking, personas, empathy maps, prototyping and agile practices.

In becoming a student of the OPWL program, you are joining a community of practice of instructional design, training and development, and performance improvement professionals from across the USA, each province of Canada, and from various points overseas. You will be connecting with people whose passion you share – keeping up with the rapid changes in technology and the changing dynamics it causes in the workplace.

Join the world’s best instructional design, training and development, and performance improvement community of practice by applying to the online master’s degree in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning TODAY!

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In the OPWL online program, you will:

• Be given the tools and resources to begin building your portfolio in your first semester!
• Have deliverables from each course that can be used in your professional portfolio
• Work on real world projects for real world clients

Career opportunities:

• Trainer
• E-learning Specialist
• Instructional Designer
• Senior Instructional Designer
• Instructional Systems Designer
• Instructional Development Specialist
• Learning Experience Designer
• Senior Learning Experience Designer
• Senior Learning Experience Designer
• Project Manager
• Evaluation and Learning Consultant
• Online Instructional Design Consultant
• Learning and Development
• Manager of Learning and Development
• Virtual Learning Coordinator
• Director of Learning and Leadership Development
• Chief Learning Officer