When: Saturday, November 14, 2026

Where: Bates College in Lewiston, Maine

Theme: Friction(less)
When a student puts their nose to the grindstone to conquer a dense reading, prepare for an exam, or write a paper, they often experience a kind of friction. Not the literal grinding of two surfaces, but social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or other kinds of friction that can make it difficult to perform and learn their best.

This year, we encourage peer educators to submit proposals exploring perspectives, research, and approaches to engaging with friction in peer-led learning. Specifically, we seek perspectives on and answers to some of the following questions:

And, at a time when modern learning tools, particularly Artificial Intelligence, promise to lessen friction, increase speed, and enhance the efficiency of the learning process, how do we square this push for frictionless learning with the science that supports slower and more effortful processes? 

What roles can or should peer educators play in managing the friction students often experience in learning processes?

How do we create more helpful friction (what Bjork and Bjork call “desirable difficulties”) while decreasing unhelpful friction (that which leads to burnout, procrastination, frustration, or disinterest)? 

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How to Register
The cost to register is $20 per attendee. This fee covers the cost of food and simple conference materials (e.g., name tags, folders, handouts, etc.). This fee is not intended to be prohibitive, but we recognize that individual attendees or institutions hoping to send groups may have to think twice before committing to registering. If a fee waiver would help make the conference more accessible, please contact SASC@bates.edu.

Groups | We welcome both individual and group registrations. However, group registrations are limited to groups of six (6). If you have more than six (6) attendees, you will need to register as two (2) or more groups.

Deadline | While there is no registration deadline, we do ask that folks register no later than Sunday, November 8th, if possible, in order to give our team enough time to prepare conference materials.

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Call for Proposals
The call for proposals is now live! We encourage all interested peer educators to explore the call for proposals and consider submitting a proposal. While we are especially interested in proposals that speak to the conference’s theme, you do not need to tailor your proposal to the theme Friction(less). If a connection exists, point it out! If not, submit your idea anyway!

Deadline | The last day to submit a proposal for regular consideration is Friday, October 30th. While we may consider proposals submitted after that date, we can’t guarantee that later proposals will be accepted or even receive a thoughtful response.