Welcome

The Peer Learning Commons or PLC at Bates is a central hub where students can access all types of academic support. The PLC, located in the ground level of Ladd Library, is made up of two distinct centers — the Student Academic Support Center or SASC and the Student Writing and Language Center or SWLC —that share a common and collaborative space. 

Peer tutors at the SASC provide support for introductory and intermediate level courses in mathematics, statistics, digital programming, natural sciences, life sciences, and quantitative social sciences. SASC also provides support for learning skills development including but not limited to time management, note-taking, inclusive study group formation, and more. 

Peer tutors at the SWLC provide support for all writing and language exploration across the curriculum, including dedicated Writing Course-Attached Tutors for all of the First-Year Seminars (which fulfill the W1 requirement), language tutors for all of the languages taught at Bates, and writing support writing and presentation assignments that students may have including but not limited to courses that are tagged as W2 courses and the thesis/capstone requirement or W3. 

Opening in the Winter 2025 semester, the PLC will include 3 Presentation & Speaking Practice Studios. These are dedicated spaces where students can practice presentations, which they might give as a class, as part of a thesis defense, or as part of a presentation during “Back to Bates” or the “Mount David Summit.” Students will have the capacity to record their practice presentations and get feedback from the professional and peer tutor staff at both SASC and SWLC.

It’s a place of peer learning — and connection. ZZ Liang of Norwell, Mass., (left) and Adriana Pastor ’25 of Asunción, Paraguay, confer in the Peer Learning Commons (PLC) on the ground floor of Ladd Library, where they briefly discussed their upcoming exam in “Mechanisms of Memory,” a neuroscience course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Glen Ernstrom. Their conversation was punctuated with hello and goodbye hugs. The Peer Learning Commons, adjacent to the Office of Accessible Education and Student Support, houses the Student Academic Support Center and the Student Writing and Language Center.

It’s a place of peer learning — and connection. ZZ Liang of Norwell, Mass., (left) and Adriana Pastor ’25 of Asunción, Paraguay, confer in the Peer Learning Commons (PLC) on the ground floor of Ladd Library, where they briefly discussed their upcoming exam in “Mechanisms of Memory,” a neuroscience course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Glen Ernstrom. Their conversation was punctuated with hello and goodbye hugs. The Peer Learning Commons, adjacent to the Office of Accessible Education and Student Support, houses the Student Academic Support Center and the Student Writing and Language Center.

It’s a place of peer learning — and connection. ZZ Liang of Norwell, Mass., (left) and Adriana Pastor ’25 of Asunción, Paraguay, confer in the Peer Learning Commons (PLC) on the ground floor of Ladd Library, where they briefly discussed their upcoming exam in “Mechanisms of Memory,” a neuroscience course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Glen Ernstrom. Their conversation was punctuated with hello and goodbye hugs. The Peer Learning Commons, adjacent to the Office of Accessible Education and Student Support, houses the Student Academic Support Center and the Student Writing and Language Center.

It’s a place of peer learning — and connection. ZZ Liang of Norwell, Mass., (left) and Adriana Pastor ’25 of Asunción, Paraguay, confer in the Peer Learning Commons (PLC) on the ground floor of Ladd Library, where they briefly discussed their upcoming exam in “Mechanisms of Memory,” a neuroscience course taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Glen Ernstrom. Their conversation was punctuated with hello and goodbye hugs. The Peer Learning Commons, adjacent to the Office of Accessible Education and Student Support, houses the Student Academic Support Center and the Student Writing and Language Center.

Students study in Ladd Library, Chase Hall, Roger Williams, and Hedge Hall during the early evening of Monday, March 19. Mathematics majors and classmates Duc Anh ’24 of Hanoi and Ethan Bean ’24 of Oaken, Va., are working together in Ladd Library’s Peer Learning Commons on a proposal for the Upcoming Bobcat Ventures event.

Students study in Ladd Library, Chase Hall, Roger Williams, and Hedge Hall during the early evening of Monday, March 19. Mathematics majors and classmates Duc Anh ’24 of Hanoi and Ethan Bean ’24 of Oaken, Va., are working together in Ladd Library’s Peer Learning Commons on a proposal for the Upcoming Bobcat Ventures event.