Often, Transcribers feel that they are on their own after they complete their training. Boasting a 100% Participant Satisfaction Rating, the WVU Transcriber Mentorship Program provides new and experienced TypeWell-qualified Transcribers with a unique opportunity to hone their professional skills in real college classes.
The first of its kind, established in 2019, WVU's mentorship program offers a unique hands-on experience for transcribers who are interested in networking and skill development. For one semester, mentees gain valuable university-level transcribing experience by joining a a top program with a proven track record and a history of excellence.
The biggest benefit of the mentorship program is that it provides mentees an opportunity to gain experience with the support of a trained mentor. As a member of the OAS team, mentees work remotely along side our staff of seasoned transcribers, providing transcribing services in real college classes for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing, helping to make the classroom a more accessible environment, and ensuring equal access to course content and an equal opportunity for students to achieve academic success. WVU’s Mentors draw on decades of experience in the higher-education classroom and hold advanced qualifications, including TypeWell Turbo and Math Mode, as well as TypeWell mentor development training. Each mentee is offered a personalized experience with an intentional approach to mentorship that is designed to be challenging but supportive, and the results speak for themselves. On average, OAS has documented a 53% increase in mentee confidence and a 20% increase in perceived mentee skill after only one semester.
Unlike most agencies, the WVU Transcriber Mentorship Program pays mentees not only
for time spent in class but for pre-class preparation and post-class editing, as
well.
Looking to improve your transcribing? Interested in building occupational networks? Eager for individualized feedback? Then the WVU Transcriber Mentorship Program may be right for you!
Goals
We encourage each mentee to set personal goals at the start of the mentorship program and to work intentionally toward those goals. Here are a few goals that our mentees have set in past semesters:
- Improve typing competency and grammatical proficiency
- Build familiarity with time-saving strategies and transcribing approaches
- Become more disciplined at the transcribing process, including lagging, chunking, and language compression
- Learn to more accurately convey speaker tone
- Refine transcript formatting and produce a more polished transcript
- Gain valuable knowledge of transcribing ethics and best practices
- Expand professional networks
Our goal is to provide each mentee with a positive and consistent mentorship experience while also providing the student with the high-quality services they need in order to be successful.
Qualifications
This is not a training program. Applicants must have successfully completed the TypeWell Basic Training Course online to learn how to listen to lectures and then quickly type a clear and accurate meaning-for-meaning transcript. Applicants must have passed the TypeWell Final Skill Check prior to the date of hire for the semester.
Mentees are responsible for maintaining their own TypeWell software license, computer equipment, and internet connection.
Additionally, applicants should be able to do the following:
- Be familiar with and adhere to established codes of ethics (such as the ATSP Code of Conduct)
- Demonstrate excellent listening, reading, and language compression skills
- Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing
- Synthesize professional-development lessons and apply them to live class scenarios
- Work professionally and confidentially in a remote services environment
- Commit consistently to an established schedule for the assigned semester
For additional information about the program, please contact Jason Kapcala.