Professional BioI began as a theory teacher and an English teacher at Santa Barbara Business College while I was still a high-speed court reporting student. Later, when the court reporting program was eliminated, my students and I all moved to Watterson College in Oxnard, CA., and I taught and headed the court reporting department there for about seven years. When computer-aided transcription (CAT) emerged in the late 1970s, it required a shift to realtime theory to ensure stenographic notes could be accurately read by computers. To address this, I quit teaching in schools and developed StarTran Realtime Theory over several years with input from CAT experts, reporters, teachers, and students. brThe curriculum was designed to be an affordable, self-taught program to prepare students for speedbuilding and academics. The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) approved the theory without required structural changes when they began certifying realtime programs. brLater, the program expanded online to include video instruction, additional application materials, and testing. In 2012, StarTran partnered with Marc Greenberg to integrate the curriculum into his Simply Steno program, establishing StarTran Online.
Mission StatementThe mission of StarTran Online is to teach new court reporting students, for an affordable tuition, to be realtime, conflict-free writers at beginning speeds by the time they finish the program.
Program OverviewStarTran Online is a self-paced comprehensive online court reporting theory course that teaches StarTran Realtime Theory, with an emphasis on English skills and practical information about machine steno careers. There are 40 Lessons that each take approximately 10 to 15 hours of practice. Each Lesson is taught through text, audios, videos, downloadable textbooks and materials, and anytime feedback and help from the instructor. There are two tests with each Lesson that are uploaded to the instructor, corrected with feedback, and uploaded back to the student. Tests must be passed with a score of 95% or above. A Certificate of Completion is awarded when all tests are passed. At that time students are qualified to transfer to Simply Steno or any court reporting school or program to complete the court reporting curriculum. At present the cost is $1500 for a year's access.
Accreditation InformationThe Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) in California authorized the program to operate online in 2017.
Enrollment Size25–50 Students
Programs Offered
Stenographic Court Reporting
Delivery Methods
Fully OnlineSelf-PacedInstructor-Led
Program Features
Recorded Instruction
Certification Preparation
Other
Primary Focus
Court Reporting
Student Types
New StudentsCareer ChangersWorking ProfessionalsRecent GraduatesOther