By Madonna Tritle
Program Mentor, WGU College of Business
At WGU, each student is assigned a personal faculty member to work with them as a mentor throughout their time at WGU. Additionally, each course has its own course instructors, subject-matter experts who are available to help students get through course material. Advice from your mentors and instructors is invaluable as you make your way through your online degree program. But we also want you to benefit from the wisdom of faculty not necessarily assigned to you, so occasionally, The Night Owl features advice from WGU faculty in colleges throughout the university.
My name is Madonna Tritle and I'm a program mentor working with students in WGU's online business degree programs. I have been with WGU for just over a year. As I started mentoring, I was amazed at all the resources that WGU offers to help students be successful, not only in their studies, but also in life. I'm taking this opportunity to reintroduce you to several of the resources that I recommend to my students regularly. Remember: These resources are at your fingertips or a phone call away!
- Writing Center
The Writing Center is dedicated to helping students become great writers. The Writing Center is open to any graduate or undergraduate student working on any assessment. The center publishes a weekly live webinar schedule and the Writing Center community has links for hand-outs and recorded webinars. Students can make appointments with Writing Center staff to work one-on-one with a writing mentor. The Writing Center is where I send my students that are not familiar with APA formatting. Email the Writing Center at writingcenter@wgu.edu. - Center for Student Success
The Student Success Team provides services on a variety of topics to help students become successful students. The center publishes a Student Success Calendar of Events and offers one-on-one and one-to-many sessions addressing various skill sets. Some of the skill sets addressed are: academic authenticity, academic confidence, career services, computer skills, goal setting, learning styles, life balances, online communication, personality type, stress management and coping strategies, study skills, test anxiety, test-taking skills, and time management. The Center for Student Success can be reached at 1-866-895-9660 x 3196 or studentsuccess@wgu.edu. - Learning Communities
The Learning Communities at WGU are a wonderful source of information to help you on your way to achieving your degree. Communities are maintained by mentors and provide academic direction for learning resources. These resources include information for study halls, live webinars, recorded webinars, task guidelines, calendar of events, message boards, and office hours. Learning Communities for your courses can be accessed from your Student Portal. - WellConnect
WGU offers a variety of services for students to help balance work, life, and school. WellConnect offers guidance and support to deal with issues that get in the way of accomplishing academic, professional, and personal goals. All of these services are free, 24/7, and are designed to help students deal with issues that occur during their academic careers. Students are entitled to the following services: counseling, budget and debt consultation, legal consultation, new parent transition, community referrals, The WGU Student Advantage website, and WellConnect outreach. WellConnect can be reached at 1-877-685-3269. - The Information Technology Department/Helpdesk
The Helpdesk supports both faculty and students at WGU. I think we have all spent time on the phone with Helpdesk staff and they are wonderful to work with. The Helpdesk can be reached at 1-877-435-7948. Helpdesk hours are (Mountain Time) Monday-Friday 6 a.m.–10 pm, Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m.
