 Hello! This short presentation introduces you to the content and the requirements of the VLC online class Phonetics, Phonology and Transcription. The class involves four credits that are awarded in accordance with the European Credit Transfer System and the tuition fees amount to 110 euros. With two steps, you can access your class. First, you have to login with your personal data and then just click on the class name that you would see on your personal VLC start site right after login. A click on this link leads you to the interactive class start site. On the class start site, you have access to various additional options such as information about your class instructor or the class requirements to name just two of them. The links in the class header of this class provide you with a complete list of references, some class related links and a hyperlink to the class related forum. Here you can discuss questions with your classmates. The core of the class are the 13 units where the first one, the so-called class preliminaries, informs you about some general aspects of the class and makes some further suggestions about how to study online. Also, the most basic functions of the program that is navigations, buttons etc. are explained here. In addition to this, you will find helpful routines that find out whether your computer is configured correctly and whether the submission of worksheets is successful. For this reason, we recommend to go through the class preliminary very carefully, especially if you are a first time user of a VLC class. The remaining units exhibit the content of this class and if you wish, you can retrieve an overview of each unit by means of a click on the information symbol. Here is an example. The transcription of North American English is associated with a pop-up window that explains the details of this unit. Let us now look at the content of the class traditionally referred to as class syllabus. The class is subdivided into four central parts. After an introduction to the main goals of phonetics, with a strong focus on articulatory phonetics, we will introduce two essential aspects of phonology. The phoneme and the variants and principles of phonetic transcription. In the third part, these concepts will be applied to present day English. We will look at the sound systems of the central British English accent received pronunciation and of North American English and discuss aspects of connected speech and suprasegmental phonology. Before finally, we will deal with two more general topics, comparative phonology and a theory of distinctive features. Studying online simply means go through each e-learning unit at your own pace. Study the virtual session using the guiding questions. Watch the corresponding e-lecture video and use the tests in the interactive tutor, which you can find in the virtual session, and optionally supplement your workbook with the missing information. And if you wish, you can discuss further problems using the class-related forum, which is open for all registered users of your class. By the way, here is your workbook. The workbook, here it is, has 148 pages and exhibits the plain textual content of the virtual sessions of the class in a non-hypertext format. Furthermore, it contains a number of empty slot and boxes. Well, here is an example, which have to be filled with the online content. For this reason, our workbooks use a special system of symbols indicating where the online material can be found and what you have to do with it. So the workbook is not a plain reader, but rather an instructional book that really makes you work. And how do we order such a workbook? Well, ordering is really simple. First, you go to your class start site and click on order workbook. And then you are directed to the VLC shop. In the shop, you find, among others, a list of class-related workbooks. Find yours, well, here it is, phonetics, phonology and transcription and order it. I don't think I have to explain all the details. The rest is very simple, just like in any other internet shop, it should be self-explanatory. Finally, you want to know what you have to do in order to get the four class credits, where one credit is the equivalent of about 30 hours workload. Our prerequisite is that you actively participate. In an online class this means go online, study the content and the videos and do the 12 ungraded worksheets as well as the practicals. Your final grade will be calculated on the basis of two graded worksheets that make up 40% of the final grade and one e-exam that makes up 60% of the final grade, how the e-exams work will be explained when required. So, we invite you to join us in our online class, phonetics, phonology and transcription. As soon as the class has been activated, your class instructor will contact you and then it's up to you. So, on behalf of my VLC colleagues, let me thank you for your attention and enjoy your class.