Butte College's unique Center for Academic Success (CAS). Photographed very early in the morning, January 2009

The Center for Academic Success is a department and program at Butte College whose goal is to promote independent learning in all students. The center offers free one-on-one peer tutoring. Tutors are experts in their subject matter(s) and are almost always available for many subjects such as all levels of Math, Science, English, Geology, Geography, Anthropology, and more. English tutors are the exception with peer tutoring as they must have a Masters degree in order to be hired.

In addition to tutors, the center has a full-featured Windows-based computer lab with most tools students need to succeed in their classes. The lab is for academic use only and computers are monitored for unauthorized use. Students that are taking GIS courses can access ArcMap using a special username and password. A computer tutor is generally always on-site for help mastering software. Finally, a printer is available which uses a Print Card that can be purchased from the Butte College Bookstore. However, prints are only 5 cents a copy versus 10 cents a copy at the Butte College Library. This is because the CAS is funded through a separate entity.

Please note that most Butte College computers cannot read the Microsoft Works document format. It is recommended to save as .RTF or .DOC else you may be in serious trouble trying to print your essay(s).

Other programs that the CAS hosts are Supplemental Instructors (SIs) and the Power Center. The Supplemental Instructors are peers that sit in a specific class to take notes and help students study at regularly scheduled times. SIs are a more structured form of tutoring and require a bit more preparation and interaction on the peer instructor's part.

The CAS offers workshops on many topics such as study skills, plagiarism, test anxiety, and learning styles.

If you only want to study, the CAS has ample space to do so. They provide study rooms on a reservation basis which are great tools for those wishing to partake in group studying or meeting in a peer group.

An online resource provided by the CAS are the TIP (To Insure Progress) sheets. They are quick reference guides to topics such as grammar, research, and critical thinking.

General Studying

Students can use the CAS as a collaborative studying area and do not need to be visiting with a tutor. Students with laptops will find outlets at both sides of the support poles that split the CAS.