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Professional Digital Reporter Short-Term Technical Certificate

Professional Digital Reporter Short-Term Technical Certificate

This program is available at the Online location.

This online 16-week certificate program is a “Shared Program” between Clark State and Stark State Colleges, offering a unique opportunity for providing excellence in teaching and learning.  In just 16 short weeks, students master the digital reporting equipment and learn the professional skills required to enter the court reporting field as a digital reporter.

This Professional Digital Reporter (PDR) certificate will provide certificate-seeking students the opportunity to train for the vital, exciting, and rewarding IT profession of digital court reporting, with additional options for careers in the CART captioning and/or transcription professions.  There are many venues where these services can be used, including, but not limited to: judicial digital court reporting professions of court and freelance reporters, college campuses as well as K-12 campuses to provide services for hearing-impaired and Deaf students; medical/corporate transcription services; and local and national government organizations.

Clark/Stark students learn the skills of a Professional Digital Reporter using cutting-edge digital recording technology and state-of-the-art computer-aided transcription (CAT) software.  Students’ skills are perfected through simulations and assessments of skill.  Students are required to complete the capstone certificate course, applying professional digital reporting skills to earn their certificate and apply for the professional certification opportunity with the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) and become employed as a Professional Digital Reporter.

Explore Careers

Outcomes and Curriculum

  • Capture and preserve the verbatim record digitally by recording proceedings using digital equipment and computer-aided transcription (CAT) software.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of basic hardware care, maintenance, and setup of a digital recording system.
  • Employ knowledge of digital reporting in taking of American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) Certified Electronic Court Reporter (CER) Certification.
  • Log live annotations to identify specified case events during proceedings and finalize assignment upon completion of proceedings.
  • Perform skills in reporting procedures, ethical standards, confidentiality requirements, operating practices, and professional demeanor and appearance in the role of a professional digital reporter.
Course Title Credits
AOT 130S Editing, Proofreading, & Language Skills (SS) ^ 3
JCR 131S Legal Terminology (SS) 3
JCR 2200 Realtime Business Procedures 3
PDR 1501 Digital Reporting Concepts 2
JCR 2300 CAT Transcript Production * 2
MST 1105 Medical Terminology 2
PDR 1502S Digital Reporting Applications (SS) 2
  Total credit hours 17
^Proficiency test available.

*Students with little or no computer background should enroll in ITS 0800 before taking other computer courses. Students without adequate keyboarding skills should enroll in ITS 0810 before taking a computer class.

Questions? We're here to help!

Robyn M. Hennigan, RPR, CRI Senior Technical Professor and Coordinator, Judicial Court Reporting

937.328.8080 henniganr@clarkstate.edu