The Transcribing Course

 

Before providing TypeWell transcription services, a candidate must first complete the TypeWell transcribing course.  Interested candidates should check out The Job page under the Start link above, before deciding if they want to take the transcribing course. 

The course for learning to transcribe with TypeWell is a distance learning course, which has been designed to retain the quality of in-person classes while providing the convenience and low cost of distance learning. 

The course teaches the student how to listen to lectures and discussions and rapidly type a meaning-for-meaning transcript using speed-typing techniques with the TypeWell software.  After the course, further real world experience is crucial.  Transcribers must gain at least 50 hours of solid experience providing communication access services before providing advanced services like transcribing math, science, or remote lectures.  The transcribing course has three components: 

1.  Interactive software

The course includes an interactive computer program, installed from an internet download onto a notebook computer.  (See the Tech link above for computer requirements.)

Our unparalleled software uses an adaptive teaching assistant to provide instant feedback and customizes practice activities to the individual student's strengths and weaknesses.  It is the best combination of constant teacher's advice and private practice. 

The fun, light-hearted course software keeps motivation high. 

29 comprehensive lessons cover everything from abbreviations to auditory processing to on-the-job social interaction (some topics covered: chunking, ergonomics, logistics, deafness facts, teaming, voicing, ethics). 

The course provides graduated practice for transcribing as the lessons advance from simple content to dense college lectures.  Automatic reports are generated with every lecture practice for the student's review of progress in ten separate skills of transcribing. 

2.  On-line account

The course also includes a personal on-line course account for each student that is accessed after each lesson, from any computer with internet access. 

The on-line account explains everything step by step as the student moves through the course.

There is a flexible but firm automatic schedule system which monitors, encourages, and alerts the student and supervisor as needed to keep the student's learning progress on track.

Update reports are sent to the student's supervisor during the course, making on-site support and encouragement possible.

3.  Live teacher

Our team of TypeWell teachers is in touch with the student regularly via email and phone.  Our teachers provides support, encouragement, and regular focused feedback, as only an expert human teacher can. 

Length of the Course

The 29 lessons in the transcribing course take most students between 35 and 60 hours to complete.  Most lessons take between 1 to 3 hours, depending on the material covered and the individual student's learning rate.  The course is typically completed in 3 months part-time, or 1 month at the maximum rate of 4 hours every day, once the course start date arrives. 

Depending on availability one's course start date may be as soon as a week after enrollment.  However, course start dates can be in high demand so check for available course start dates before planning your schedule. 

An important point: while the schedule of work on the lessons is flexible, it is not entirely self-paced.  Many individuals have difficulty completing tasks that are totally self-paced.  Other responsibilities take one's time, and self-discipline is not always up to the task of keeping on schedule for a distance learning course.  Our regular schedule requirement helps the student to follow through and complete the course.

Skills learned in each lesson build on what was learned in previous lessons.  It is important to keep the student's skills growing steadily, and not have long gaps between lessons.  A gap of more than a few days between lessons could cause recently-learned skills to fade, and not provide an adequate base for the skills in the next lesson.  So, lessons must be turned in to the student's online course account every 2 to 4 days.  If the student must schedule a vacation in the middle of the transcribing course, or has an unscheduled emergency, there's a way to make extra time for one assignment, as long as all the other assignments are turned in on time. 

 

Next read the qualifications required of a TypeWell transcriber.