CU Faculty Member Jessica Briskin Conducts Workshops in Nigeria

Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg professor Jessica Briskin has taken her expertise in delivering remote education to an international audience.

In the summer of 2023, Briskin, associate professor of technology, analytics, and workforce learning, delivered workshops over two weeks in weeks in Lagos, Nigeria, through Winrock International, a leader in U.S. and international development. Winrock is a nonprofit organization that implements a portfolio of more than 100 agriculture, environmental, and social development projects in over 40 countries.

The workshops focused on the essence of online education and blended learning and explored tools such as Google Forms, Google Sheets, Google Slide, Mentimeter, Google Sites, Google Classroom, Jamboard, Canva, and Flip.

“This was my first experience volunteering for Winrock and volunteering in general,” said Briskin. “On a professional level, it was enlightening to see the instructors’ and students’ drive and eagerness to learn from us about online learning strategies and new technology.”

Briskin, working with Dr. Tutaleni I. Asino of Oklahoma State University, had more than 204 participants in the workshops, including both instructors and students from Nigeria. In September, they had a follow-up session with the group via Zoom to see how they used the tools.

“I was incredibly impressed by the motivation the instructors and students displayed, and the enthusiasm was contagious,” Briskin added. “This experience has given me another perspective and mindset on working in the digital age and expanding my research on the diffusion of innovation. As one of the students said, ‘We cannot be stuck doing what we did yesterday because we will miss tomorrow’s treasures.’”

Briskin’s experience was also featured on Winrock’s website.