The course consists of the following sections:

Nicole's Notebook: These notes will include additional information, alternative suggestions, and learning tips that will help the student master the various aspects of Egyptian grammar and script. They will be available in an online book that also can be easily printed for offline use.

Online Submission of Exercises: You will be able to submit your homework exercises through an easy-to-use Web interface.They will be reviewed by the instructor, who will clearly mark corrections and offer personally tailored suggestions for improving your translation skills. Contextual information about the texts you are translating will also be provided.

Help Forums: In other distance learning courses on hieroglyphs, students must study alone, without easy access to their instructors. Here you will be able to ask questions regarding grammatical and cultural concepts introduced in the course, get answers from the instructor, and help one another. You will be able to insert hieroglyphic signs into these discussions, without needing to buy any expensive software.

Soundclips: By listening to your instructor, you will learn how Egyptian letters may have sounded and how Egyptian words and sentences are conventionally pronounced by Egyptologists. You will need Macromedia's free Flash Player installed on your computer to hear this sample. (MP3 audio)

Glyph Gallery: The goal of this feature is to help you to learn to recognize and draw individual hieroglyphs. It will tell you how a particular sign is used and what it represents. It will be illustrated with relevant images and an animated sequence of how to draw the glyph. You can view a sample of Glyph Gallery content here.

Textbook: We will use the same book used to teach hieroglyphs at top universities around the world: Jim Allen's Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. You can order the textbook now by clicking on the flag icon of your country: . Other books will be recommended, but not required.

Vocabulary Builders: Electronic flash cards will accompany each chapter to assist you in mastering vocabulary. Printable vocabulary lists will allow you to study vocabulary anywhere and help you to complete the exercises that associated with each lesson.

Learning Links: An annotated database of other Web sites that you can visit to supplement your learning will be available. In addition, as various cultural topics are introduced in the textbooks, additional Web sites on these subjects will be recommended so you can broaden your knowledge of Egyptian culture and build your own Egyptological library. You will be able to rate, comment on, and add to the learning link database yourself.

Wiki: One of the best ways of learning is explaining what you learned to others. To help consolidate your understanding of Egyptian, you will be able to help create a comprehensive wiki to accompany the lessons.

Hieroglyphic Editor and Transliteration: A built-in hieroglyphs editor will allow you to type hieroglyphs in your homework and forum posts, while helping you to memorize the signs. Transliteration of hieroglyphs will also be possible.

Certificate: Students who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate. Teachers may be able to earn professional development/continuing education credit for this course; please contact us and let us know your state to learn if this is possible.

Enrollment conditions and technical notes: The Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs course is divided into 3 units and covers the same material as a full-year university course. You can enroll for Unit 1 (covering lessons 1-10 of 26) below for an initial period of 6 months (180 days) at the price of US$259. If you do not complete Unit 1 in 180 days, you may request extensions of 90 days for a nominal $30 fee until you complete the unit. Upon completion of Unit 1, you will be allowed to enroll in Unit 2. The price of the three units will be identical to one another, but it is not guaranteed to remain the same.

If you are paying by Paypal, you will be immediately enrolled in the course once Paypal approves your payment. Because your enrollment begins immediately, you should order the course textbook immediately if you have not done so already. Order now by clicking on your country's flag:

If you are paying by check, you will be enrolled once your check clears.

You do not need to purchase any additional software in order to be able to participate in this course, but due to technical shortcomings of Internet Explorer, Safari and Opera, you will need to download and use the free Firefox browser to access this course. You may use either Windows, Mac OSX or Linux to participate in this course.

Fees paid for this course are non-refundable and no free extensions will be allowed if you are unable to complete the course in the time allotted.