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What is
PAL?
PAL (Polk Access to Learning) is PCC’s new
online course delivery system. PAL is used for all Internet and Hybrid courses, and will gradually be used for any course’s web-based supplemental materials
as well.
The PAL Homepage is
located at the following address (you will want to read all of these
instructions before going to the PAL homepage):
elearning.polk.edu
Where can I find information about PAL?
You can find instructions for
logging into PAL and beginning an Internet course on this page, as well
as in the PAL Student Orientation.
General information about Distance Education at PCC as well as PAL can
be found in the PCC Class Schedule, the current Student Handbook and
the Distance Education pages on
the PCC Website.
How
do I get an account and log in to PAL?
Once you have enrolled in an Internet or
Hybrid course a PAL account will be automatically created for you.
Note:
during normal registration your account may take up to
one week after registration to be created, as this is not a fully
automatic process (enrollment in PAL will happen daily during late
registration and drop/add). You will be able to login to PAL and access
your course(s) no later than one week prior to classes starting. Some
instructors may release their courses at an earlier date; contact your
specific instructor with any questions related to when you will be to
view that course.
To login to PAL you will need your
username and password which follow a standard format:
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Username Standard
Form:
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The standard form
for any student’s login is "firstname.lastname.mmdd" where “mmdd”
represents the two digits of the birth month and the two digits
of the birth day. Note that your username is all
lowercase. |
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Username Example: |
If my name is
Jane Smith and I was born
April 6, 1972,
my username would be “jane.smith.0406”.
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Password Standard
Form: |
The default
password for any student is the student ID (without dashes). This is NOT the
social security number. Student IDs begin with the first letter of
your first name and are followed by a series of numbers. Use
your Student ID without dashes and make sure that the
first letter of your password is capitalized.
You
can find your student ID in
Passport.
After logging in to Passport, there are two ways to find your
Student ID:
1. Click on the
Class Schedule button (or My Schedule under the Registration Menu),
then choose the current term and click OK. Your Student ID is
partway down the screen under your schedule, listed beside your name
in the fees section.
2. Click on the
View Transcript button (or Unofficial Transcript under the Advising
Menu). Your Student ID is near the top of your unofficial
transcript
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Note:
You should change your password as soon as you login to PAL to one of
your choosing. This is accomplished by clicking on "My Password"
on the left of the PAL Homepage.
What will I see when I first login 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 any Internet and
Hybrid courses you are enrolled in under a section titled "My Polk
Community 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 Community 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.
Does PAL Provide Email
for Students?
Every
student in PAL has an email account that is created when the student is
enrolled in PAL. To use this system, click on "Email"
in the navigation bar at the top of any PAL page, or click on the "New
Email" update under the "Updates" section found on the left side
of any PAL page. Students’ email addresses follow a standard form based
on their PAL username.
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Email Standard
Form:
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The standard form
for any student’s e-mail is ”username@elearning.polk.edu” where
“username” represents the student’s PAL username (see Username
information above).
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Email Example: |
If my name is Jane Smith and my
username is “jane.smith.0406”, my PAL email address would be:
jane.smith.0406@elearning.polk.edu.
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Note:
Students are required to use their PAL email account for any class
related email. In addition, this account is to be used only for
PCC course related purposes.
What Do I Do if I Am
Having Trouble Getting Into 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 at
(863)-298-6839 and Help Desk personnel will be happy to help you.
The PAL Student Help Desk is available at the days and times indicated
below:
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PAL Student
Help Desk Hours |
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Monday - Thursday: |
8:00 a.m. - 9:00
p.m. |
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Friday: |
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
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Saturday: |
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
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(863)-298-6839 |
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
instructor's email addresses and phone extensions on the PCC Phone
Directory. Dial (863) 297-1010, then enter the desired
extension. In addition, you may find the answer to your question
in the PAL Student Orientation.
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 Classlist, click on the instructor’s
name or email address at the top of the list and the PAL email program
will launch with a message addressed to the instructor.
Students Using America Online:
some students who use America Online have reported having problems
accessing PAL, in particular after PAL is down for maintenance. Our recommendation is to connect to the Internet with AOL
as you have done in the past, then once connected, minimize America Online (the
left-most button of the three in the upper right of any window) and then launch
Internet Explorer, Firefox or any other web browser and use that browser to
access PAL. Do not hesitate to contact the PAL Student Help Desk at
(863)-298-6839 or your instructor should you have any problems and they will be glad to help you.
What Do I
Do Next?
To begin, go to the PAL Homepage
and login with your username and password as listed above. All of
us at PCC are committed to your success and hope you have a great term.
Please do not hesitate to contact
your instructor or the appropriate College office or the PAL Student
Help Desk if we can help you in
any way. |
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