Only you can decide whether to include online training in your professional development plans. There are many features inherent in online training that offer benefits in convenience, improved productivity and personalized results that may not be available in other forms of study. As a professional, however, the type of training you need, the time you have available to acquire it and how it will impact your productivity are critical issues you should evaluate first. The decision to study online should never be made lightly. In making your decision, you should consider the six "bilities" of online education and training.
Usability:
Stenograph University Online professional courses and skill building products are designed to be immediately usable by working professionals. They focus on teaching you skills that you can use immediately in your professional life to improve productivity, make you more competitive and offer your clients more value-added services in less time.
Online training products can be used at any time, anywhere you have an Internet connection. Whether you have five minutes, five hours or five days, training products are "chunked" so you can always use them to build skills in whatever time you have available without compromise to your schedule or other obligations and priorities.
> Each course is designed to be immediately useable "as is." You generally do not need to load additional software or spend time or dollars getting ready for a class. And the class is always ready when you are!
Affordability:
When you consider the cost of attending training seminars, buying textbooks and taking time off work, online training shapes up as one of your most affordable training options. Tuition for the typical Stenograph University Online course are comparable to (and often less than) seminar costs for similar programs. Also, Stenograph University Online courses usually offer as many or more continuing education credits and review materials, and are generally developed by expert teachers and trainers in the field.
> Unlike "on-ground" training, however, online courses do not require you to travel to a seminar location or to pay transportation, lodging and other expenses. And you can usually take your online course without taking time away from work. So you avoid losing income while improving your productivity.
Here is an example cost comparison for typically priced two-day captioning training:
| |
2-day weekend
captioning training |
Stenograph University
Captioning I, II, III |
| Length of training session |
14 hours
|
83 hours (flexible)
|
| Tuition |
$1000
|
$975
|
| Travel (50-500 miles) |
$50-$350
|
$0
|
| Lodging (1-2 nights) |
$70-$375
|
$0
|
| Child care |
$160-$200
|
$0
|
| Food |
$50-$150
|
$0
|
| Work time lost |
0-16 hours
|
0
|
| Class time spent on non-individually relevant questions |
25-50%
|
0%
|
| Repeatability |
None
|
100%
|
| Continuing education credits |
1.5-1.6
|
7.7
|
Availability:
Stenograph University Online courses are available "anytime, anywhere" you have an Internet connection and an appropriate computer system. So if you only have an hour per week, or even just five minutes between proceedings, you can still use the time to become more productive.
When you purchase a course or product, you generally receive your access codes within 24 hours of purchase. Since you do not need pre-course preparation, you can start right away.
> If you find after beginning a course that a sudden illness, job schedule change, vacation or other interruption occurs, you can always reserve the balance of your time for later use by e-mailing or calling Stenograph. Information for this purpose is provided whenever you start a course.
Accessibility:
Most computers purchased within the past three years and most currently available Internet services are suitable to access Stenograph University Online professional development courses.
To make your experience as easy as possible, we include all player and viewer software that you might need right in the course site. That way, you never have to go search the Net for the right software and you can delete the viewers or players when you are finished.
Wherever possible, we have also designed our courses using commonly available authoring software. This approach means that much of the viewer and player software will already be loaded on your computer.
Here are the major types of software players required for our courses:
> Windows Media Playerฎ
RealOnePlayerฎ Basic
Macromedia Authorwareฎ Player
Adobe Acrobatฎ Viewer
Microsoft Wordฎ Viewer
Flexibility:
With most types of professional development training, you have to adjust your schedule to make time available for the training. In most cases, this can mean waiting for skill improvements to enhance your income earning potential and productivity or even losing time that could be spent generating transcript income to attend a seminar or training session.
> When you study online, the training adjusts to your schedule. If you have a free evening you can use it to acquire skills that can make you more productive the very next day. If you have a train ride home, a half-hour wait in an airport or even just 15 minutes a day, you can use those minutes to become more proficient in your career.
Best of all, online learning does not just offer you flexibility in when you can learn. A well-designed online course offers you a choice about the way you learn. Are you a predominantly visual student? Do you learn best when you "learn by doing?" Do you prefer to discuss different aspects of a new skill with others or hear about how previous students mastered the material? Would you prefer to view the lecture and then go through a simulation? Because no two people learn in exactly the same way, online learning designers tend to build their courses using multimedia content designed to accommodate a variety of learning styles. Good education on the Internet lets you choose what is most comfortable for you. This approach means you can learn more quickly and effectively.
Customizability:
Start a seminar or attend a lecture. Open a book or play a CD training tape. Most often you start where the designer or trainer feels you should and follow the "outline" until you reach the end. But what if you already are a whiz on Seminar Topics 1-3? What if that job that starts at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow requires you to learn a software feature that is in module 8, not module 1, of your software users guide?
In a strong online course, you almost always have the option to start where you need to and learn skills from the top down or the bottom up, whichever is most comfortable for you. You can zero in on one skill today and save the rest for later or start at the beginning and go straight through until the end. The point of entry, the sequence of study, how many times you go over a point or apply it: all these can be custom designed to your situation. You can get everything YOU want or just what YOU need and you do not need to waste time on already mastered or unusable knowledge.
What can I study online?
Stenograph University Online offers a number of professional development products to help you improve your skills, enhance your income earning potential or cross train for new career options. And we are consistently expanding your options with new courses. For the most current list of options and more descriptive information on each product, click here or on the "Products for Professionals" tab above and follow the links to the areas that are of interest to you.
What equipment do I need to study online?
At a minimum, you will need a computer with:
- 400 Megahertz (Pentium II or equivalent) or higher processor
- Internet Explorer 6.x or higher java-enabled Web browser with cookies enabled (no alternate browsers are acceptable)
- 128 Megabytes of RAM or higher
- sound card
- speakers
- video graphics card
- 15" or larger color graphics monitor capable of 1024 x 768 pixel resolution
- 24X or better CD drive
- unique e-mail address (not shared by anyone else)
- printer
- Windows 2000 or XP operating system
- current version of Windows-compatible word processing software such as Microsoft Wordฎ
- 28.8 kbps or faster Internet connection
For some courses of study (i.e., Stenograph Online Speedbuilding), a cable modem, T1 or higher, or DSL service is recommended. Your Internet service should not time out, allow pop-up advertising while you are in your course site, or prevent the receipt of audio, video or streaming media.
You should also have technical support from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and computer service technician in place before beginning your online course of study. This support should include a toll free number you can call immediately should you experience difficulties in connection, reception or hardware/software operation.
For complete information on technical requirements for various courses offered by participating schools, click here or on the "Technical Information" tab above.
How do I get more information and get started?
To learn more about professional development products, click here or on the "Products for Professionals" tab above and make your selections.
Professional courses and products may be purchased directly from Stenograph by: visiting our e-commerce shopping platform at www.stenograph.com; clicking on the links to Online Professional Courses; contacting Stenograph at (800) 323-4247, extension 7880 between 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday; or e-mailing us at education@stenograph.com.
Before you make your purchase, please do not forget to check the technical requirements for your selected course of study in the product information and "Technical Information" area of this Web site.
What about professional certification?
Unless otherwise noted, the National Court Reporters Association has approved Stenograph University Online professional development courses and most practice products for continuing education credits (CEUs). Many state and professional associations also accept NCRA-approved courses and programs for continuing education (CE) credits required to maintain state certifications. Check the CEU information provided for each course and product by clicking here or on the "Products for Professionals" tab above and then the link(s) for your chosen course or product.
Testimonials
Case CATalyst Professional Skillbuilding Sequence
I just finished my online course yesterday. I chose the realtime commands category.
The biggest downer was the long downloads to get started (I'm still using an ol' 56K modem).
However, once past that, I found it VERY intuitive. The instructions were well written and very easy to follow, and the interactive CATalyst screen is really an excellent way to learn.
Online courses like this are great for working reporters whose schedules can change at the drop of a hat, as mine did this week. But even with a busy work week, I was still able to easily complete the course.
Most importantly, I thought the content was excellent; it was to the point, without a lot of extra B.S. I completed the course in a very reasonable amount of time and gained a much better understanding of some of CATalyst's realtime features. The course was well worth the time I invested even without the NCRA CE credit although that's definitely a plus and I definitely will be putting some new ideas to work right away.
I really do think Stenograph is onto something here. I know I'll be keeping a close watch on future course offerings, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to reporters in our firm and at the courthouse, especially those who never seem to be able to get away to a seminar.
John Schindhelm
Schindhelm & Associates
Milwaukee, WI
The Caption Accelerator
Where has Caption Accelerator been for all of these years? I have successfully trained many, many court reporters to be broadcast captioners... but not one without a struggle. Let's face it, training with broadcast material at air pace is extremely difficult. Whether practicing with videotapes or live material, it can be a discouraging process. Caption Accelerator changes everything! It offers a unique and effective speedbuilding method with just the click of a mouse. You practice material that is up-to-date and covers a variety of topics such as news, sports, finance and entertainment, and it runs on your computer right along with your realtime. Training to be a broadcast captioner will never be the same...and it's about time.
Amy Bowlen, RDR-CRR
Manager of Realtime Captioners
VITAC Corporation
Pittsburgh, PA
What about the cost?
Courses and products are priced to fit almost every budget and currently range from $95 for .25 CEU to $975 for 7.7 CEUs. Click here or on the "Products for Professionals" tab above and follow the links to choose what is best for you!
Copyright 1995-2007 Stenograph, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
webmaster@stenograph.com