Semester Quick Tips

Log in to the Pirate Portal (My Class Schedule & Grades folder > My Class Schedule link  > Term: Spring 2021 > Print icon) to view and print your class schedule.

Be sure to view the instructional method for each course. If you are enrolled in a class using the alternating instructional method, your instructor will be contacting you with details regarding who will be attending face-to-face on the first day of class and who will be attending via Webex.

Log in to the Pirate Portal (Registration folder > Student Profile link > Books & Materials for Your Courses link) to view and purchase books and supplies.

Potential Additional Costs:

• Computer (desktop or laptop)
• Webcam with microphone
• Honorlock (remote proctoring service; minimum computer system requirements may be checked at https://honorlock.com/support)

Need technology assistance?
Complete and submit the Student Technology Needs Form.

If any of your classes are face-to-face, be sure to arrive early to make sure you’re in the right place. If your class is at VC’s Main Campus, take a look at the campus map before you arrive for class. The updated campus map indicates the designated screening entrance(s) for each building.

Quiet study spaces and a computer lab are available to students in the VC Library.

Social distancing is required in all VC facilities, and facial coverings are required in public areas of buildings and any time social distancing is not possible. Everyone who enters a VC building must also pass a health screening and temperature check in order to receive a date-specific sticker that must be visibly worn the entire time you remain in a VC facility

It pays to read the syllabus and assigned chapters before the first day of class.

To view and print your syllabus for each course, log in to the Pirate Portal (Registration folder > Student Profile link > Student Schedule link > Active Registrations tab > course link > Syllabus link).

Victoria College students who need academic, mental health, or financial support are encouraged to submit VC’s Request for Assistance.

Free tutoring services are offered to students who need academic assistance. This semester, students can schedule a virtual tutoring session, submit a writing assignment for review by a tutor using the online Tutoring Request Form, or drop by the Tutoring Center.

Success coaching is also available to students who would like strategic assistance with goal-setting, time management, study strategies, and other academic concerns.

It's important to check your student email at least once a week to make sure you don't miss important info.

To check your email, log in to the Pirate Portal (Launchpad folder > Student Email).

Victoria College periodically sends information to students regarding registration, admissions, financial aid, and payments via text message. Don’t miss a notification! Opt in to receive official emergency and general alerts from Victoria College in your Pirate Portal (My Contact Information folder > VC Notifications Opt In/Out link). 

Students are also encouraged to add the following numbers to your contacts.

• (361) 220-1391 Main Campus Security or (830) 857-6254 Gonzales Center Security
• (361) 485-6899 VC Emergency Alerts (Texts and Phone Calls)
• (361) 208-0999 VC General Alerts (Texts)
• (361) 573-3291 Victoria College (Phone Calls)
• (361) 582-2509 VC Computer Help Desk (Phone Calls)

Technology resources needed to complete courses remotely can be checked out from Technology Services beginning Jan. 04 on a first-come, first-served basis. Technology can also be purchased from the VC Bookstore. 

Your instructor(s) may use Honorlock, a remote proctoring service, in your web-based classes(s). There is an additional per-course cost for Honorlock. For details, view the Cost to Students for Student Authentication.

Browser Requirements
Honorlock requires that students have access to Chrome (minimum version 79) as the web browser and a webcam and microphone. Students who do not have Chrome can download Chrome free.

Hardware Requirements
Students will need to purchase or borrow a computer and/or a webcam with microphone if they do not have one. The computer needs to have an operating system of Windows 10, MacOSX 10.13 and higher, or Chrome OS. There is a blue “Run System Check” button toward the bottom of the Honorlock support page that you can use if you would like to verify that your system meets these requirements.

Technology resources needed to complete courses remotely can be checked out from Technology Services beginning Jan. 04 on a first-come, first-served basis. Technology can also be purchased from the VC Bookstore. 

Cost
There is a per-course cost for Honorlock. Once you complete the room scan for your first exam in a course, you will click on the Other Payment Options link and select Course to purchase Honorlock for that course or click on Token if you have a token from the VC Bookstore. The cost is $16, and a debit/credit card is required to complete the purchase online from within Canvas. The VC Bookstore will sell Honorlock passcodes for $17 that can be used to pay for Honorlock without a debit/credit card. If your instructor uses Honorlock for a lab and lecture, you will need two codes. Check with your instructor before purchasing Honorlock passcodes at the VC Bookstore.

View step-by-step instructions on how to pay for Honorlock.