Denver Academy of Court Reporting

The Denver Academy of Court Reporting (DACR) is private for-profit two-year institution of higher education. Its mission is to educate students to become highly skilled voice-to-text professionals to serve the greater community. It is also committed to providing students with high-quality education to enable them to acquire the necessary skills to pass national certification examinations and lead successful careers in the real-time reporting field. DACR provides a learning environment that is relevant and features state-of-the-art resources. It is dedicated to instilling ethics and professionalism in all students.

Denver Academy of Court Reporting

DACR is committed to providing students with a solid technical, theoretical, and practical educational background to serve future employers. It also supports and serves the judicial, deaf/hard-of-hearing communities, and the greater community that requires reporting services. It strives to help students in developing voice-to-text abilities using modern technology and enables them to gain competency in the required expert areas such as real-time writing, judicial settings, and understanding of other technology and how it applies to the working reporter. The Denver Academy of Court Reporting is committing to employing faculty members who posses excellent qualifications to meet the overall mission of the institution. It maintains a low student to faculty ratio to ensure all students achieve their maximum potential. To accomplish its mission and remain up-to-date on the court reporting field, DACR regularly updates its curriculum to reflect the current entry-level requirements for reporting professionals by obtaining information from national organizations and business communities.

The Denver Academy of Court Reporting offers Certificate of Completion and Associate of Applied Science degree. Its flexible and online programs are based on the academic standards of the campus-based programs. The online courses are delivered via Blackboard course management platform. Some online courses feature synchronous sessions, which require students to be present online during a specific 50-minute session. Synchronous classes include weekly forum discussions, weekly or biweekly assignments such as homework and practice recording, and weekly or biweekly evaluations or assessments such as quizzes, tests, reflection comments, or speed testing. Others feature asynchronous sessions, which enables students to respond to forum discussions at varying times. Asynchronous classes include weekly forum discussions that require at least one substantial post per week in response to a forum discussion question and a minimum of two other responses to other posts by fellow classmates. These courses also feature weekly or bi-weekly assignments such as chapter readings, worksheets, virtual lectures; evaluations or assessments including quizzes, examinations, or reflection comments; and team projects in the virtual environment including team chats, synchronous meetings, team forum discussion, and Go-To Meetings.

The online programs require students to participate in an orientation session with an Online Coordinator. The orientation features a synchronized meeting in Go-To Meeting format and may include audio and video components that explain the policies and procedures of the school and how to navigate through the online learning environment.

Kenneth Avery founded the Denver Academy of Court Reporting and it was incorporated by Colorado in 1975. Charles Jarstfer and Mary Agren Smith acquired the school in 1983. In 1984, the Colorado Commission of Higher Education approved the school to award an Associate of Applied Science degree in Court Reporting. MACWIL Educational Services, Inc. purchased the school in 1999. It became part of the Stenograph family of schools in 2006.

Accreditation

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools accredits the Denver Academy of Court Reporting to award associate degrees.

Scholarships Offered

The Denver Academy of Court Reporting accepts scholarships that are sponsored by individuals and organizations. Students are required to search for scholarships on an independent basis. The school also provides information about scholarships and ways to search for them.

Financing Options

The Denver Academy of Court Reporting participates in financial aid programs such as Federal Pell Grants, Federal Direct Stafford Subsidized Loans, Federal Direct Stafford Unsubsidized Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans. The school also accepts veterans’ benefits. DACR also offers payment plans through the financial aid department.

Credit Earning Options

DACR accepts transfer coursework from other accredited NCRA-approved reporting programs or other approved institutions. The Dean of Academic Affairs evaluates transfer credit requests and courses must be similar to the courses at DACR. All transfer courses must have received a grade of a C or better and completed within the last 10 years. The institution also grants credits for life experiences and students are required to submit necessary information in a portfolio including a letter composed by the student summarizing the request, a formal resume that includes the life experience relevant to course subjects the student is requesting credit, letters of verification from employers and/or volunteer organizations that verifies at least two years work experience or volunteer activities. Students can transfer a maximum of 50% of their program credits. Students seeking transfer credit must submit official copies of transcripts.