The possibilities are almost endless when using your Personalized Access to Learning and Services (P.A.L.S) system. Through the Internet, you may gain access to grades, course message boards, personal calendars, e-mail, transcripts and much more.
Being a new student at any of the Alamo Community Colleges may not be so scary with the help of P.A.L.S. A virtual tour was designed to help students find their way around campus.
“One thing that eased the fear of starting college is the online campus tour,” said Joe Martinez, 25, a Kinesiology major. “On the first day of class, I didn’t feel so lost because I had an idea of where everything was.”
Not only is the online tour very useful, but P.A.L.S. will soon offer students the option of accessing the catalog straight from their computer. One of the perks of using the online catalog is that it will be available before the actual hard copy comes out.
Whether you are a new, transferring or a returning student, the website will also allow you to view your degree audit to inform you of the classes that you have already taken and the ones you still need to take.
“I transferred from Texas State to Palo Alto, and I noticed it was easier than I thought to find the classes I needed for my degree plan,” said John Valle, 19, a History major. “The most helpful link was the course registration. It gave me all the information I needed, such as the registration schedule and deadlines I needed to know.”
Being a college student can be very confusing, not only in class but getting started, too. By using P.A.L.S., you may get in contact with your instructor to have some questions answered outside of class. It can also be used as a medium to post images, notes or message board topics.
“I love using it. P.A.L.S. gives me the ability to post images and study guides that the students can use,” said William Blanton, a Biology instructor. “I use it mainly to post the class notes, and it gives better feedback than in class.”
Trey Harlow, 19, an Aviation major said, “I think it’s great that I’m able to e-mail my instructors and stay updated with my on-line classes through P.A.L.S. I use my P.A.L.S. e-mail a lot, but the only bad thing about it is sometimes I’m not able to log onto the site.”
Some students find problems logging onto P.A.L.S., but the colleges have it covered; free technical assistance is available for all Alamo Community College students through Support Central at (210) 220-1616. The P.A.L.S. website is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The technical assistance is only available Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.; Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Another problem some students have come across on the P.A.L.S. website is timing out after 10 minutes. To solve this, there is an option to change your settings under the my account tab to extend your time on the site.
“I use the P.A.L.S. website often because it allows me to get some things done at home that I usually need to go to school for,” said Stephany Bauknecht, 23, a Pre-Med major. “I just like the fact that you can do everything on it: e-mail, financial aid stuff, check your G.P.A., and stay up to date with school events.”
Staying updated with the various school events around campus is one thing, but keeping up with the events in your life is something else. P.A.L.S. offers an online calendar to help you organize bits and pieces of your life. It also offers an on-line bulletin board and A.C.C. D. classifieds to help you buy or sell books.
The classifieds are not limited to the buying and selling of textbooks; they may also be used to look for a job or to get the word out about an upcoming event. Using the classifieds is free and students may post, browse and reply to other ads, as well.
The classifieds also have space to post advertisements, but you must get approved through the Student Activities Department.
“I like the fact that P.A.L.S. provides each student access to an e-mail and how to use it,” said Jane Mungia, a work study in the writing lab. “It’s one of the great tools that Palo Alto College can provide students starting college.”