What is realtime reporting?
Realtime reporting is the capture of the record of live proceedings, usually verbatim, in such a way that a transcript of the proceedings is instantaneously available to those who need it and can be retained as long as necessary for future reference.
> Realtime reporting is generally performed in several capacities. Realtime judicial reporters provide realtime translation and transcript in judicial, deposition and other legal settings. Broadcast closed captioners provide on-air realtime translation for live television and other broadcasts. Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) providers translate proceedings for the hearing impaired in classrooms, churches, hospitals, public and private meetings, and in legal settings. Webcasters provide instantaneous realtime text translation of Internet broadcasts, meetings and conferences as they occur.
Most realtime reporting careers require professionals to be capable of rendering live proceedings into English (or other language) text complete with punctuation and proper formatting at speeds of 225 words per minute or higher with 98 percent or greater accuracy. Most realtime reporters must learn a realtime steno-writing theory that allows them to capture the spoken word at these rates and accuracy levels. They must become proficient in the use of sophisticated computers and computer assisted translation (CAT) software, litigation support (or other realtime annotation) software and often voice recognition programs as well as their computerized shorthand writing machines. Many realtime reporters are also experts in the creation of synchronized voice-and-text or video-and-text records.
For more information on realtime reporting careers, prerequisites, and professional requirements, please explore the following resources:
"Information Technology Careers for the New Millennium"
"A Window on the Word"
Words Have Wings!
All About Captioning
"G’day!"
Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART)
Webcasting: What is it?
Webcasting: An online demo
Please note: You will need to view the demonstration through the RealPlayer® streaming media software player available at www.real.com.
Why should I study realtime reporting online?
Ultimately, only you can decide to include an online course of study in your realtime reporting education plans. The characteristics of online education offer benefits you may not find in other types of education, but the online experience may also be unable to provide some of the types of educational interactions you are accustomed to. The decision to study online should never be made lightly. These are some, but by no means all, of the factors you should consider.
Choice:
In the past students were limited to the schools to which they could conveniently commute or relocate. The availability of teacher-managed online education has changed this scenario forever. Now a student equipped with the proper hardware, software and services can seek out schools that offer the student’s education of choice. Conversely, schools may now select students from a wider range of applicants. If students and schools assiduously pursue the choices best for both, the result can be very rewarding for all parties.
It is important to remember, however, that not all online educational offerings are created equal. Just because a program is available online does not make it better or worse than a traditional program.
Choosing a program of study that is designed to prepare you for a new, skills-intensive technology career like realtime reporting is also very different from choosing a quick enhancement course. In the former, the key is to look for strong teacher-mentored education in which you have an ongoing opportunity to learn from a rich classroom community. It is wise for the online student to recall that true education does not just take place in the interaction between the student and the educational content, but also in the give-and-take between students trying to master the same content under the mentorship of a qualified and participating teacher. Choose your online program from the perspective of the quality of education provided as your first priority.
Convenience:
Online education can be very convenient. You may not need to travel to and from a physical campus to complete your course, program or even degree. This convenience can save you money in reduced transportation and other costs, and can allow you to fit your education more easily into a lifestyle that includes other obligations such as work or family.
Convenience can extend to how you choose to take your online course. Many courses now try to follow a learning model that offers the student a selection of ways to acquire knowledge and skills. So students who learn best by seeing, hearing, doing or reading about a skill can choose how to master that skill most effectively.
Responsibility:
The convenience of online education, however, may place a greater burden of responsibility on the online student. In general, online students need to be highly organized and self-motivated, have the ability to set and meet deadlines with or without significant outside direction, and be able to manage multiple tasks and obligations independently.
Communication:
Online education generally requires far more communication activity from and between students, class groups and teachers than more traditional forms of education. Students interact with each other primarily through online dialogue whether it is conducted in the form of text or voice chat, Webcasts, virtual classroom activities, simulations or other exchanges.
Teachers in online classrooms are also generally less tolerant of students who plan to "just sit and listen" than they might be in a more traditional face-to-face classroom. Online class communication may be the only way to gauge progress in an online class.
> Because of the increased emphasis on communication, online students have a great deal of opportunity to participate and interact while learning or acquiring skills. But online students also need to be competent written and oral communicators to take advantage of this potential benefit.
Time:
Studying online may save you the time you would ordinarily spend traveling to and from class, and it may allow you to study at times you find most convenient rather than according to someone else’s schedule. But almost all educators agree that effective online education DOES NOT TAKE less time than face-to-face education. In fact, in some cases, it actually may take more actual hours to complete an online course than less.
Flexible Learning:
One of the chief benefits of online learning is its flexibility. When you attend a face-to-face class, you very seldom have the opportunity to speed it up or slow it down to meet your preferred learning rate. You generally cannot stop a class to explore ancillary issues you feel are important but the rest of the class does not. You cannot generally replay the class to go over topics you need to spend more time on, and so forth.
In an online class, these restrictions are generally removed. Almost always, an online student can take online lectures at his or her own pace (within teacher-established guidelines of course), speed up or slow down as needed, choose portions for repeated study, skip over portions, explore related topics and in general "personalize" the learning experience to the learner.
Cost:
Cost considerations of online education can be difficult to estimate. Teacher-managed online education generally carries a higher TUITION price tag than taking the same courses "on-ground." The reasons for this are many. It generally takes a teacher more time (in hours spent per student) to train an online student than an on-ground student. This results from the increased emphasis on coaching and the greater flexibility allowed to learners in an online class. The technology to teach and train online also carries a price tag that schools, teachers and students must factor into their decisions.
On the other hand, online education may reduce teacher and student costs for transportation, child-care or other services. These savings may compensate for additional tuition or technology costs. And the value of a more flexible, personalized learning experience with richer communication may return a higher educational reward per dollar spent. This too should be factored into a cost-benefit analysis of online education choices.
Resources:
Online educational courses and programs also have the resources of the World Wide Web just a mouse click away. Consider whether your chosen course of study involves research, evolving technologies or is highly dependent upon continuously changing information sources. If so, an online program of study that is well organized and managed by a Web-savvy online instructor may be a much richer learning experience for you than other types of education.
Privacy:
It is one of the curious paradoxes of all Internet communications that they can be both more anonymous and more threatening to personal privacy at the same time than other forms of communications. Online educational experiences are generally impacted by this duality.
On the one hand, online study students and teachers are generally not hampered by the preconceptions of visualization. This has often made online classroom interactions much more frequent, vibrant, motivational and thorough than other types of educational discussions. Some educators also believe that this online privacy screen has encouraged students who are uncomfortable in face-to-face settings to participate more fully in online learning interactions. That involvement, they feel, results in a richer experience for all participants.
> Decisions need to be made, however, about what information to communicate in an online classroom and what to withhold. A wise rule for both teachers and students is to assume that any information posted in an online class may ultimately become accessible to any other Internet user and act accordingly.
More Information?
Decisions about online education require appropriate investigation. To learn more about online education, please explore the following resources:
How to Be a Successful Online Student, 1st edition, by Sara Dulaney Gilbert. Published by McGraw-Hill; November 2000. ISBN 0071365117
MOOniversity: A Student’s Guide to Online Learning Environments, by Jan Rune Holmevik & Cynthia James. Published by Allyn & Bacon; December 1999. ISBN # 0205271146
Elements of Quality Online Education, edited by John Bourne & Janet C. Morrow. Published by the Sloan Center for Online Education; June 2002. ISBN # 0967774128
Is online education right for me?
There are many benefits to taking an online course, enrolling in an online program of study or supplementing your current education with online course enhancements. Only you can decide what is best for you.
To help you make that decision, click on the link "Online Educational Readiness Questionnaire" below. On the login page that follows, enter the username 2387 in the username field and the password 2387 in the password field. Then click the login button. You will be routed to a questionnaire you can complete. After you complete the questionnaire, press the submit button and your report will provide you with some observations on overall readiness for online training.
Please note that the questionnaire and results document are for informational purposes only and are not intended either as professional or conclusive evaluations of readiness for online education or lack thereof. You should always contact the school or institution providing your online program, course of study or training to determine whether it is right for you.
If you experience problems accessing the questionnaire, please e-mail us at stenou@stenograph.com. Please note that your input into the questionnaire is not saved after you exit the survey.
Online Educational Readiness Questionnaire
What can I study online?
Online educational course offerings vary from school to school. Some schools offer individual classes of study, others require enrollment in a complete program of online study. To explore what is available, please click the "Participating Schools" tab above and choose the school or schools you wish to contact. Then click on the appropriate link(s) to find out more about each institution and its programs.
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 Word®
- 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.
Please note that some courses of study (i.e., steno theory, Stenograph Online Speedbuilding, Case CATalyst, etc.) require additional software and the computer you use to have SPECIFIC Windows Operating Systems (i.e., Windows 2000 or XP but not Windows NT, 98, 98SE or Windows ME ) for access.
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 started?
Here is how you can get started in your realtime reporting online education program:
| • Click here or on the "Participating Schools" tab above | ||
| • Select one or more school links for further information | ||
| • Contact the schools via the links provided requesting: | ||
| • Program descriptions and curriculum options | ||
| • Costs | ||
| • Financial aid availability and requirements | ||
| • Start dates and completion times | ||
| • Entrance and acceptance requirements | ||
| • Prerequisites | ||
| • Application forms | ||
| • School information | ||
| • Information on services, faculty, staff, history, placement, etc. | ||
| • Information on certificates, degrees, credit transfer, school policies, etc. | ||
| • Direct contact information (i.e., phone numbers, e-mail addresses) | ||
| • Online specific information, guidelines, policies, etc. | ||
| • Information on school accreditation | ||
| • Set up an appointment to meet with appropriate school staff face-to-face or via phone or Internet to explore your needs and the school’s offerings. (The school may require such an interview to proceed with an enrollment application.) | ||
| • Make certain you understand exactly what is required of you, especially in terms of attendance, deadlines, equipment, costs, commitment, etc., before proceeding. | ||
| • Ask questions if anything is not clear. Remember the only "dumb" question is the one we should have asked but didn't because we thought it was "dumb!" | ||
How do I get more information?
For more information on a particular course or program, always directly contact the school offering the program.
Testimonials
"Attending court reporting school online has given me an opportunity to excel in a rewarding and respected profession. I have two small children, so commuting to school wasn't an option. Brown College online courses allowed me to further my career, yet be available to care for my home and family. I couldn't be happier with the college I selected. Lynette Watt is always helpful and a big basket full of information. I know that I chose the best when I chose to go to school over the internet."
Trecia Fannin
"I have enjoyed my classes with Brown College online very much. Being online is easy, convenient and flexible. It has afforded me the opportunity to learn something that was not available in my area and I am very thankful!"
Jennifer Garnett
"My students are awesome. They have such an amazing bond with each other. They support and encourage each other through everything: personal trials and tribulations as well as the challenges of being online students. They are remarkable! I feel so fortunate that I am teaching machine shorthand online."
Katie Vettickal, CRI
College of Court Reporting
Hobart, IN
How much does it cost?
Each participating school sets its own tuition and other costs. To find out what your costs might be, please contact the school or schools of your choice by clicking here or on the "Participating Schools" tab above and follow the appropriate links to the school’s designated admissions staff.
Information technology careers for the new millennium
Judicial reporters are at the center of the most controversial cases, preserving history in the Gore vs. Bush election hearings, Bosnian War Crimes trials, Firestone depositions, the Microsoft antitrust trial, and the trials of Timothy McVeigh and O.J. Simpson. They provide transcripts not only to the judge and counsel but also to the international media in hard-copy format or by posting to the Internet.
> The role of reporters continues to evolve from serving as information managers in complicated trials to capturing depositions and business proceedings in digital format or assisting millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons through advanced captioning technology.
The World Series, Academy Awards, weddings, doctors’ offices, football games, classrooms, churches, television stations…these are the new domains for the professionals who formerly worked primarily in the courtroom or deposition suite. Reporters now pursue careers in the following:
Broadcast captioning
Because of their skill with stenotype machines and computers, specially trained realtime reporters are in huge demand to provide captioning for live television broadcasts. This service is called realtime captioning and primarily benefits the 28 million Americans who are deaf or hard-of-hearing by allowing them to follow news broadcasts, sporting events and other television programming. This service is especially valuable in an emergency; for example, during tornado or hurricane warnings, or as most recently seen when broadcast captioners provided crucial captioning services for television viewers during the tragic events of September 11th.
The surge in demand stems from requirements of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that regulates closed captioning. The Federal Communications Commission ruled that 100 percent of all new television programming must be captioned by January 1, 2007. To accommodate this demand, captioning companies and broadcasters will need qualified reporters to caption tens of thousands of hours of live programming every week.
CART reporters
A version of the captioning process, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART). allows reporters to provide more personalized services for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Reporters work with hard-of-hearing students and people who are learning English as a second language, captioning high school and college classes as well as providing transcripts at the end of sessions.
However, the classroom is only one environment where the skills of a CART reporter are put to use. CART reporters accompany deaf clients as needed – for example, to conventions, business meetings, doctor appointments, workshops, wherever communication access is needed – to provide an instant conversion of speech into text using the judicial reporter’s stenotype machine linked to a laptop computer. And more and more, CART reporters are providing this critical service remotely, as an Internet or phone connection allows for immediate communication regardless of location. Reporting agencies that specialize in this service cannot meet the demand for it.
Webcasting and reporting to the Internet
Reporters are capturing sales meetings, press conferences, product introductions and technical training seminars and instantly transmitting them to all parties involved via computers. As participants speak into telephones or microphones, the words appear on everyone’s computers, accompanied by any relevant documents or graphics.
Unlike speech-recognition systems that have high error rates and are unable to differentiate between multiple speakers, reporters write accurately at speeds in excess of 200 words per minute. In addition, their technology enables participants to receive text via the Internet, an online service or their own Intranet – all without any special hardware.
Related reporting careers
In addition to the Information Technology careers for those with realtime skills, there are several options for persons who obtain basic reporting training and proficiency.
Scopists
Judicial reporters utilize scopists to edit and proofread transcripts while the reporters work in court or take a deposition. A scopist electronically receives a rough copy of a proceeding, checks for any "mistranslates" (terms that were not in the reporter’s computer dictionary), makes any necessary edits, ensures the transcript is in the requested format, and sends the edited and proofread transcript back to the reporter for a final review.
Information reporting/Rapid data entry
Hospitals, insurance companies and many other businesses have mounds of data that need to be entered into their computer systems. Using the stenotype for word-processing is significantly faster than normal typing. While very fast typists can input text at about 100 words per minute, persons trained as court reporters can input text much more quickly – 200 words per minute and faster.
> Some schools provide students with incentive programs that allow them to practice their skills while earning money to pay for their education. The program, nicknamed "earn and learn," benefits all involved. Corporations increase word-processing efficiency by 300-400 percent and students improve skills, earn money to pay for school and improve their chances of graduation.
Medical/Legal transcription
Transcriptionists specialize in medical or legal language and related documentation. They interpret and transcribe dictation by physicians, lawyers or other healthcare and legal professionals. In a legal setting, they transcribe such audio recordings as initial client meetings, instructions for written documents such as contracts, wills and trusts, and motions to be researched by paralegals for letters to co-counsel or opposing parties. In a medical setting, they typically transcribe audio dictations regarding patient assessment, workup, therapeutic procedures, clinical course, diagnosis, prognosis, etc. In both settings, transcriptionists may edit dictated material for grammar and clarity as necessary and appropriate. Persons with basic judicial reporter skills and a Computer Aided Transcription (CAT) system can transcribe and enter the material at speeds up to 225 words per minute.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), established in 1899, is a 27,000-member nonprofit organization representing the judicial reporting and captioning professions. Members include official court reporters, deposition reporters, broadcast captioners, providers of realtime communications access services for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and others who capture and convert the spoken word into information bases and readable formats. Additional information is available by calling (800) 272-6272 or visiting www.ncraonline.org.
Excerpted with the permission of the National Court Reporters’ Association pamphlet "Reporting…An IT Profession With Numerous Career Paths," presented February 2002, NCRA CASE Teachers’ Workshop, St. Louis, MO.
{Note: NCRA article excerpt rendered as printed. E-mail permission received 6/12/02, Marshall Jorpeland, NCRA.}
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