What is PAL?

PAL (Polk Access to Learning) is Polk State College’s online course delivery system. PAL is used for all Internet and hybrid courses and for web-based supplemental materials for other classes as well.

You access the PAL web site selecting PAL from the navigation bar at polk.edu or by going directly to the PAL website: polk.desire2learn.com.

Where can I find  information about PAL?

You can find instructions for logging in to PAL and beginning an Internet course on this page, as well as in the  PAL Version 10 Student Orientation. General information about Distance Education at Polk State College as well as PAL can be found in the Polk State College Guide to Registration, the current Student Handbook, and the Distance Education pages on the Polk State College website.

How do I get an account and log in to PAL?

Once you have enrolled in a course at Polk State College, a PAL account will be automatically created for you. 
Note: During normal registration, your account may take a day or two to be created. You will be able to log in to PAL and access your course(s) once your account has been created. If you have been a student at Polk State College previously, your account may already exist.

To log in to PAL, you will need to know your Polk State College email prefix. You can determine this from your Passport account. Log into Passport with your Student ID and PIN. Your “@my.polk.edu” is your institutional email address and the prefix is your username for PAL. This prefix will also be your prefix for your email inside PAL with the email address of “@polk.desire2learn.com.”

Access the PAL login page and use your Polk State College email prefix for the username. Enter your Passport PIN for the Password. If you change your PIN for Passport, it may take a few days for PAL to be updated. Until then, your old PIN will work for PAL.

What will I see when I first log in to PAL?

You will see the PAL homepage (also called “My Home”), which will include access to your preferences, email, and events calendar. You will also see campus-wide News items as well as links to the courses you are enrolled in under a section titled “My Polk State College Courses.”

How do I begin an Internet or hybrid course in PAL?

To begin a course in PAL, you will need to click on the link for your course under the “My Polk State College Courses” area. Once at the course homepage, you should read and follow any instructions found there under the “News” area. In addition, you should click on “Content” in the navigation bar at the top and then read all information found under the “Course Information” module.

What do I do if I am having trouble logging in to or using PAL?

If you are having trouble logging in to PAL, accessing your course(s) in PAL, or need your password reset, call the PAL Student Help Desk. Help Desk personnel will be happy to help you.

You may also email your instructor with any course-specific questions. Should you not be able to locate your instructor’s contact information, you can find all instructors’ email addresses on the current term’s course index, and all instructors’ email addresses and phone extensions in the Phone Directory. Dial 863.297.1010, then enter the desired extension.

Note: The easiest way for you to email your instructor is by clicking on your course on the PAL homepage; then click on “Classlist” in the course navigation bar. Once in the “Communications>Classlist,” click on the instructor’s name or email address at the top of the list, and the PAL email program will launch an email window addressed to the instructor.