Our Program
The NCCR’s unique, external study program is taught by working court reporters using an Australian Real-time Machine Shorthand Theory specially developed for the Australian context.
The National College of Court Reporting offers, by external study, a fee-paying program in computer-compatible Machine Shorthand for Realtime Court Reporting and Captioning. This program admits men and women of various ages and backgrounds, who have some keyboarding skills, and who seek careers as Court or Parliamentary Reporters, Television Captioners, CART Reporting for the hearing-impaired or who wish to use Machine Shorthand as a reporting skill for rapid data entry in the medical professions and in the business world.
Currently we have external students in all Australian States, as well as metropolitan and country South Australia. In recent years we have had successful students in Malaysia, New Zealand, Christmas Island and Brazil.
Our past students include speed championship winners and leaders of the Court and Captioning professions. Another of our past student “stars” is currently working at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
Our program is designed for individual progression which is dependent on personal motivation and the student’s time available for study. High speeds in Machine Shorthand are attained only by a considerable personal investment of time in skill-building. As in any skilled performance, from the concert pianist to the Olympic athlete, behind the public acclaim is the hidden discipline of the many hours spent in individual practice.
Students are assisted by regular telephone tutoring and use a loan machine with structured study materials and dictation cassettes.
The program is divided into three sequential units of study. Each unit, on average, takes 500 hours of study/keyboard practice to complete, that is, 10 hours per week for 50 weeks. Full time students are able to complete all three units in one year.
Unit One covers the theory of a Realtime Machine Shorthand system including writing principles and transcription techniques, and dictation at a minimum speed of 80 words a minute.
Unit Two enhances a student’s language facility and vocabulary development and extends dictation to a minimum speed of 150 words a minute.
Unit Three further enhances a student’s language facility, vocabulary development and personal dictionary, while extending dictation to a minimum speed of 200 words a minute.
Students may commence study at any of 4 points in the academic year, that is, in February, May, July or October.
