Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you are a first time student, or are already a member of our college community, there are many terms used around campus pertaining to college life. Some terms might be familiar, whereas some might be completely unfamiliar as you begin or continue your journey with Distance Learning. Hopefully this Frequently Asked Questions section will answer questions about some of the frequently used terms you will encounter. If you don’t find your question here, please Contact Us for more information.
ACES stands for Alamo Colleges (District) Educational Services. It is a web based portal that allows students, faculty and staff to access the catalog, register for classes, grades, schedule, financial aid information, view and pay account balances, email, and personal information virtually 24/7.
Obtain your ACES Username by applying for admission:
First-time users only:
Your default password will be the first two letters of your last name, IN CAPS, followed by your birthdate in MMDDYY format.
After logging in for the first time you will be asked to change your password.
Login to ACES to view your E-mail and Online course(s)
Please call Support Central at 210-485-0555 or the NVC Help Desk at 210-486-4777 for assistance.
Please call Support Central at 210-485-0555 or the NVC Help Desk at 210-486-4777 for assistance with any of the following:
- Anything to do with ACES
- Passwords
- Access to Student and Financial web services
- Alamo.edu email reset or access
- Am I registered?
- Problems with pop-up blockers, anti-virus software, firewalls, anti-spyware software, etc.
- Questions about hardware/software compatibility
As a Northwest Vista College student, you will have access to most of your student needs through ACES. Some of the services available in ACES include:
- Registration
- Free email
- Transcripts
- Financial Aid
- Scholarships
- Catalog
- Library Link
- Calendar
- News & Events
- Online payment plans
- Directory
- and much more
Here are the top 10 reasons:
- Your Alamo email is free
- It gives you a professional email address to use on resumes and job applications
- Your Alamo email has excellent filters to prevent most spam and unsolicited mail from outside the Alamo Colleges District
- Your instructors will use Alamo email to contact you
- Student Activities, campus events, and important announcements such as campus closures will be sent to you in your Alamo email
- Financial aid check/refund status and payment deadlines will be sent to you in your Alamo email
- You can easily connect with other students
- Your Alamo email account allows large file attachments and has a large amount of memory (storage)
- Your Alamo email, contacts and calendar can be linked to most smart phones
- It links you with every other student, faculty and staff member in all of the Alamo Colleges District
An online class is taught completely online using Canvas, with no classes scheduled on-campus. The course is offered asynchronously with people logged in at different times. You may be required to come to campus for an orientation, testing or labs, or complete another in-person requirement but in general, attending class is simply a matter of logging into your class through our ACES portal.
A hybrid class is a cross between a traditional on-campus class and an online class. Some of the class will be done online, but there are regularly scheduled on-campus meetings as well. For example, you may meet once a week on campus and the rest of your learning will take place online.
A remote class is similar to an online class because it uses Canvas or other online resources for content and activities; however, much of the course instruction may be offered synchronously--at scheduled times.
If you are a student and need assistance with Canvas please call (210) 485-0555, option 2.
NVC offers the same array of opportunities to both online and on-campus students. Some online services include: tutoring, library services, writing help, and much more.
Yes! At Northwest Vista the online credit courses are the same as their on-campus counterparts. If it is a for-credit course on campus, you will get the same credit for completing the course online. View the Services and Resources for Students Canvas page.
First, let’s clear up a misconception: Online classes are not easier or less time-consuming than face-to-face courses. In fact, you should plan to commit at least as much time to each online course as you would to a traditional, face-to-face course. This includes the time you would spend in the classroom plus time spent studying, researching, writing papers, taking exams, and so on.
Please view the following page: Is Online Right For Me?
Please Contact Us if you need assistance.