WGU Student Newsletter

SkillSoft Mentoring

Did you know there is a live group of experts available 24/7 to assist with your desktop training needs? It’s true! SkillSoft Mentors are experts who hold over 1000 certifications and can be reached through an instant chat session or e-mail.

Chat
Chat provides online, real-time, text-based chats with mentors for quick questions or to ensure you fully comprehend a topic. SkillSoft Mentors support over 36,000 chats per year with over 9,000 chat hours.

E-mail My SkillSoft-Mentor
This service enables mentors to provide technically detailed answers for more in-depth questions. E-mail My Mentor has a guaranteed 6-hour response time. SkillSoft Mentors respond to over 36,000 student e-mails a year.

Faculty Spotlight

Ruki Jayaraman, Director, IT College

Where are you from? I am originally from India, did my BA and MA at the University of Mysore, and then went to Canada to get my Ph.D. I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, about 23 years ago and now call it home.

When did you join WGU? I left my previous position as the Director of Customer Solutions for a software company, and started with WGU in June 2006 as the Director of the College of Information Technology.

What do you enjoy about WGU? The competency based educational model. A number of institutions claim to be outcomes oriented, but very few can really demonstrate that in the way the programs are structured. At WGU we don’t just state that we have this figured out, but every single one of our programs reflect the fact that we have made the competency based model into a fine art. I also love the people that I work with - all committed individuals who care deeply about who we are, what we do, and have the passion to make WGU succeed.

How do you see WGU’s IT program different from traditional universities? As a competency based institution we go beyond what other universities, both traditional brick and mortar and online, offer to students. Our programs are tailored around real world hands-on skills in the different areas of information technology; driven and validated by market needs; and is grounded in the philosophy of developing competencies that would enable a student to easily work in any technology niche. The IT College program also focuses on the development of business skills such as leadership and professionalism, and project management.

More on Ruki: Ruki has an eclectic background with over 20 years of extensive experience in technical and non-technical education, and several years of senior management experience in the corporate IT sector. She holds a doctorate in political science from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and also several IT industry certifications. Ruki initially started out as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University, where she taught Political Science and International Relations, and moonlighted as an IT consultant. She was hired by IKON Technology Services where she initially worked as a Senior Technical Trainer and Network Administrator, and then took over as Education Services Manager at both locations of IKON in Utah. Prior to joining WGU, Ruki worked as a Director of Customer Solutions for Tomas Corporation, a software firm, and managed multiple business units. She also served on the Utah Governor’s Asian American Advisory Council.


Volume 1, Issue 1 February 2008	Home \| News & Highlights \| FAQs Teachers \| Business \| IT \| Health \| Liberal Arts
In This Section SkillSoft Mentoring Faculty Spotlight Calendar of Events February 15 Student/Mentor Mixer - RSVP Now February 16 Graduation	IT College
	SkillSoft Mentoring Did you know there is a live group of experts available 24/7 to assist with your desktop training needs? It’s true! SkillSoft Mentors are experts who hold over 1000 certifications and can be reached through an instant chat session or e-mail. Chat Chat provides online, real-time, text-based chats with mentors for quick questions or to ensure you fully comprehend a topic. SkillSoft Mentors support over 36,000 chats per year with over 9,000 chat hours. E-mail My SkillSoft-Mentor This service enables mentors to provide technically detailed answers for more in-depth questions. E-mail My Mentor has a guaranteed 6-hour response time. SkillSoft Mentors respond to over 36,000 student e-mails a year. Faculty Spotlight Ruki Jayaraman, Director, IT College Where are you from? I am originally from India, did my BA and MA at the University of Mysore, and then went to Canada to get my Ph.D. I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, about 23 years ago and now call it home. When did you join WGU? I left my previous position as the Director of Customer Solutions for a software company, and started with WGU in June 2006 as the Director of the College of Information Technology. What do you enjoy about WGU? The competency based educational model. A number of institutions claim to be outcomes oriented, but very few can really demonstrate that in the way the programs are structured. At WGU we don’t just state that we have this figured out, but every single one of our programs reflect the fact that we have made the competency based model into a fine art. I also love the people that I work with - all committed individuals who care deeply about who we are, what we do, and have the passion to make WGU succeed. How do you see WGU’s IT program different from traditional universities? As a competency based institution we go beyond what other universities, both traditional brick and mortar and online, offer to students. Our programs are tailored around real world hands-on skills in the different areas of information technology; driven and validated by market needs; and is grounded in the philosophy of developing competencies that would enable a student to easily work in any technology niche. The IT College program also focuses on the development of business skills such as leadership and professionalism, and project management. More on Ruki: Ruki has an eclectic background with over 20 years of extensive experience in technical and non-technical education, and several years of senior management experience in the corporate IT sector. She holds a doctorate in political science from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and also several IT industry certifications. Ruki initially started out as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University, where she taught Political Science and International Relations, and moonlighted as an IT consultant. She was hired by IKON Technology Services where she initially worked as a Senior Technical Trainer and Network Administrator, and then took over as Education Services Manager at both locations of IKON in Utah. Prior to joining WGU, Ruki worked as a Director of Customer Solutions for Tomas Corporation, a software firm, and managed multiple business units. She also served on the Utah Governor’s Asian American Advisory Council.