Study & Resources

The Learning Commons is currently closed on campus.

Study Consults

You may meet one-on-one for a study consult to help you better prepare for your next exam. Topics may include test preparation, test-taking, time management, organization, and other study skills. Please contact Nancy Colla (602-285-7808) to schedule an appointment.

Learning Materials

With your PC Cub Card or your Student ID from any Maricopa College, you may check out for use in the Learning Commons:

Textbooks (many, but not all textbooks)
Calculators (TI-84)
Anatomy & Physiology Models (You may check out one model at a time.) Resource Flier
Study/Collaboration Rooms (allows laptops to share a large TV screen)

If others are waiting for a resource, check out is:

For Textbooks- two hours
For Study Room- two hours
For Models- 1/2 hour
For Calculator- 1 hour

Research Assistance

Need assistance on researching for your writing assignment? PC Library offers Research Coaches, 24/7 chat with a librarian, and research guides to help you with your research paper. Additional Information on PC Library's Research Help

Other Learning Websites and Resources

Multiple Disciplines/Subjects and Textbooks

Programs by Department - Phoenix College academic programs listed by department provides contact information and resources by department.

Wolfram Alpha - a FREE computational knowledge engine and associated blogs for 30 disciplines including math, history, weather, computers, food, music, chemistry, transportation, finance, statistics, linguistics, art, health and medicine, sports, time, surprises, and much more. The results return Wikipedia summaries, Go Pro and You Tube videos, photos, lyrics, maps, and more data on your search topic or question.

Khan Academy - FREE access to videos for math, biology, physics, chemistry, economics, finance, arts and humanities, computing, national test preparation, and more. Also, access to partner content from museums around the world, NASA, Pixar, Stanford, MIT, the Big History Project, and many more. To access you must have either a Facebook account, Gmail account or an email account.

ThoughtCo.- Lifelong Learning - articles, quizzes, newsletter, references, and content for arts and literature, history, biology, chemistry, business, ESL, and much more.

Open Textbook Library - FREE open-sourced, faculty reviewed textbooks in many subjects. Read online or download the PDF version.

OpenStax College - FREE open-sourced, peer-reviewed textbooks. Download the free high resolution PDF of many college level textbooks.

Biology & Chemistry

The BioDigital Human - FREE access to an interactive 3D model of the human body.

PC Chemistry Dept. Resources - links to CRC Handbook, MSDS Data from SIRI, the Pictorial Periodic Table, and more.

D.W. Brooks Chemistry Website - FREE resources for chemistry and neurobiology. Extensive list of topics and learning modules, including books he co-wrote.

Chem Reference Periodic Table - FREE interactive online periodic table.

The Periodic Table - FREE Wikipedia article describes how to use a periodic table.

Penn Medicine Medical Animation Library - FREE animation videos on many medical conditions and diseases. Must have QuickTime Player and Shockwave, both available free at the website.

Lab Tests Online - FREE site to help you understand medical lab tests. Hosted by AACC, American Association of Clinical Chemistry, this website provides access to reviewed articles and an index of medical conditions and test names.

Math & Physics

Phoenix College Math Videos - Created by PC Math faculty, James Sousa. More than 4500 FREE math tutorials hosted on YouTube. Each video is less than 10 minutes. Great for review before a placement exam or to assist you with a specific topic. For even more help use the Mathispower4u Blog.

PC Math Blog and the PC Math Blog Virtual Manipulatives - open educational resources for students, tutors, and faculty. Provides access to student and teacher guides for Math 08x and 09x courses as well as the online virtual manipulatives.

The Physics Classroom - FREE interactive online tutorials, quizzes, and practice for a wide variety of physics topics.

Desmos Calculator - free interactive graphing calculator from Desmos.com. You'll need to create an account, but it is free.

Wolfram Demonstrations Project - free interactive math and geometry demonstrations using CDF technology format. You'll need to download the free Wolfram CDF player.

GeoGebra - free graphing calculator for functions, geometry, algebra calculus, statistics, and 3D math.

Reading & Writing & ESL

PC Reading Dept. Resources - Reading Lab location/hours and links to online resources to improve your reading skills.

Purdue OWL - online writing lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses FREE writing resources and instructional materials. English as a Second Language resources are also available. The Purdue OWL Vidcasts are short video lectures on basic grammar to rhetoric to APA and MLA styles.

Cool Sites for ESL Students - University of Illinois at Chicago Tutorium in Intensive English hosts site with links to really cool resources for anyone learning English as a Second Language. Links to sites for listening comprehension, reading, speaking, writing, vocabulary, grammar, news, culture, test preparation, research/study skills, health/fitness, and much more.

Scrible - access to FREE student edition using a student email address. Place to store, use and share articles, citations, bibliographies, and annotations.

Knightcite - a web-based citation generator hosted free of charge as a public good by the Calvin College Hekman Library. You select your format, either MLA, APA, or Chicago, and enter your bibliographic information. The tool creates a citation.

Study Skills and Tools

Study Guide Zone - site with both free and for cost resources for many, many standardized tests. Site has study guides, flashcard systems and links to free resources.

Study Guides and Strategies - FREE site with much information on studying, learning, time management, writing, thinking, reading, math, and science success. Site has many translations from around the world for all the content.

How to Study - FREE site with specific content on how to study for almost anything.

Time Management and Problem Solving - interactive exercises and content on time management, self-motivation, decision making and project management by Study Guides and Strategies.

Thinking, Memorizing, Test Prep, and Test Taking - interactive exercises and content on learning critical thinking skills, best memorization techniques, and learning strategies to prepare and take tests by Study Guides and Strategies.

Drillster - study aide that allows you to create drills for memorization and retention or you may use pre-made drills for many subjects. Drillster is an adaptive, assessment based learning tool with immediate feedback that is accessible via web or app. FREE accounts are available, but additional features are at a cost.

Cuesta College - well organized set of study guides on many topics such as time management, reading skills, testing skills, note taking skills, spelling, critical thinking, and much more.

Free Academic Courses and Open Resources

Self-Study Math MOOCs at PC - FREE, open-access, online math courses provided by Phoenix College.

Merlot II - FREE searchable collection of materials, tools, videos, and courses maintained by California State University that includes peer reviewed materials and Academic Disciplinary Communities from agriculture, biology, business, English, history, math, music, physics, world languages and many others. Must have Adobe Shockwave Player, available free at Merlot II websites.

OpenLearn -the Open University provides FREE access to topical and interactive content and courses, from expert blogs, to videos and games. It links to the BBC television and radio programs. It is also available on YouTube.

MIT Open Courseware - FREE courses taught by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Provides video lectures, interactive simulations, online textbooks on many topics from business to humanities to languages to science to teaching and many more.

Tutor Resources

Tutor Matching Service - meets part of the CRLA Level 1 training standards.

Tutor Code of Ethics - Association for the Tutoring Profession code of ethics observed by CRLA, College Reading and Learning Association.

PC Student Handbook - handbook that covers a student's responsibilities and rights.

ESL Strategies - 13 tips to better tutor ESL students by Slide Share.

Tutoring Strategies - tutoring strategies by Study Guides and Strategies, includes ideas on how to be a better tutor and how to be effective during the tutoring session.

Active Listening - learning to actively listen by Study Guides and Strategies.

Becoming a Better Math Tutor - FREE downloadable book by David Moursund and Robert Albrecht designed to help math tutors and tutees to get better at their respective and mutual tasks.