Thomas Jefferson instilled lifelong learning into the core of the University of Virginia. To embrace this mindset, Srikar Gullapalli, recent Darden School of Business graduate, has created Q-Rayt: the tool to remain a lifelong learner.
Q-Rayt enables universities to establish communities around their knowledge assets. The platform provides a comprehensive feedback loop imperative in this day and age between the workplace and the classroom.
The workforce is ever-changing and professionals need to stay engaged in high-quality learning to be successful. Q-Rayt empowers adult learners by meeting them where they are.
Srikar studied the habits of adult learners while working in the public sector on India’s Future of Work Initiative. He found adults learn best in a task-based format as opposed to a rigid course structure. They also prefer knowledge that is validated through experience.
Q-Rayt socializes adult education and promotes discovery-based learning. As Srikar puts it Q-Rayt is “a space where people can go to play.” The platform provides a trusted community in which useful content is shared.
Srikar is passionate about education, in particular the method in which Salsa is taught. Q-Rayt’s platform gives individuals the ability to discover and learn in a way that is meaningful to them similar to the open and self-directed style of learning Salsa.
On the other side of the feedback loop, universities need to stay abreast of new developments transpiring in the workplace. Through assembling a network of professionals who can upload their own knowledge assets and comment on the universities’, Q-Rayt makes it possible for institutions to administer up-to-date education.
Q-Rayt supplies the qualitative and quantitative data organizations want in order to ensure their knowledge assets continue to be relevant and valuable. These organizations can decide who their knowledge asset community is open to. For universities, Q-Rayt is an ideal opportunity to strengthen ties and foster engagement among alumni.
The idea for Q-Rayt is based on Srikar’s frustration from experiencing a ‘cut-off’ over the summer during his studies at Darden. At his summer internship, Srikar was in search of an answer he knew had been covered in one of his classes, however, without means to find the knowledge asset Srikar had to navigate the depths of Google. Srikar later found out it’s common to lose access to class material at most universities when students are on break or have recently graduated.
Now, Darden is the first institution to start using Q-Rayt.
Srikar likes to compare Q-Rayt to a library. At your fingertips are high-quality, logically organized, trusted sources. People are available to guide you. If you’re looking for something specific there is a direct path to find it and if you’re wanting to explore, Q-Rayt is certainly the place for you.
Q-Rayt offers a vital mutual benefit for both universities and the workplace through facilitating their relationship. No longer is it acceptable to leave life at school behind when entering the workforce; lifelong learning is necessary to keep up in today’s world.
