DEAR LAKER LOUIE: A LAKER ADVICE COLUMN

Dear Laker Louie,

How can I make sure to stay connected to everyone at the college in the virtual environment?

Sincerely, CONCERNED COMMUNICATOR

DEAR CONCERNED COMMUNICATOR, Don’t get your feathers ruffled! Here are some of my tips for staying connected with our community.

Make sure to check that your address, phone number and email address are accurate by checking your Laker Hub after applying. If not, you can update them by changing your address in the Laker Hub under Student Demographics>Address Change or email admissions@ lakelandcollege.edu. Opt in for text messaging in your Laker Hub by clicking “Students” and going to the “Communication” tab. That way you can receive important messages from the college. Stay in contact with your instructors by checking your syllabi for their contact information as well as messaging them through Canvas or Laker Mail. You can also use the “Employee Directory” on our Lake Land College homepage. We know the whole paper mail thing is for the birds, but still make sure to check your postal mail for important information regarding your application and registration. Remember to take advantage of our Online Chat feature! To get started, go to lakelandcollege.edu, click the computer guy, select the department you need, enter your name and question and off you fly! For help getting started or next steps feel free to email counsel@lakelandcollege.edu. Best of luck and keep quacking!

Sincerely,

Dear Laker Louie,

I want to apply to Lake Land College, but I don’t know how to get started. I have never taken any classes there before, and I don’t know what to expect. Do you have any advice on what to do?

Sincerely, NERVOUS NEWBIE

DEAR NERVOUS NEWBIE, Not to worry! The enrollment process is as smooth as water sliding off a duck’s back. I’ll waddle you through the process and you’ll be a member of our Laker Nation in no time! 1. Visit lakelandcollege.edu/enroll to complete your Laker Profile and Intent to Enroll. 2. Watch your postal mail for more information on how to register for courses. If you are a new degree or certificate-seeking student with no previous college credits, watch for information on completing new student orientation and scheduling an advisement and registration day. 3. Make sure all of your contact information is up-to-date so all the cool people who work here can contact you about your intent, welcome letter and registration information.

If you have any questions about getting started or completing your next steps, email counsel@ lakelandcollege.edu.

Once you’ve completed all that, you are officially a Laker! Welcome and we can’t wait to get to know you!

Sincerely,

Dear Laker Louie,

I am a sophomore, and I had some trouble navigating my online classes last semester. Are there any resources available to help me learn how to make the most of these classes? Oh, and I had some technology issues too. Is there anyone I can contact to help me with those?

Sincerely, LOST IN CYBERSPACE

DEAR LOST IN CYBERSPACE, There are lots of resources to help you navigate your classes! Don’t fret, we will have your ducks in a row in no time!

In Canvas where all of your classes are nested, there are tutorials showing you how to navigate the different areas of your classes and such.

For any questions about using Canvas or navigating your classes, be sure to check out our cool Online Chat feature! Just go to lakelandcollege.edu, click the computer guy and our awesome faculty and staff will wing it from there!

As for your technology question, I would suggest contacting compope@lakelandcollege. edu. The staff are really great about helping! We want you to have the best Laker experience you can, so you can spread your wings and fly as a Laker Nation Alumnus. Thanks for sticking with us!

Sincerely,

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR LAKER LOUIE?

Send Laker Louie your question at mpr2@lakelandcollege.edu and it could be featured in the next Lake Land College Magazine!

IN RECENT Students interested in the program may begin the program with a typing speed of 40-50 YEARS, a shortage of court reporters and closed captioning professionals has led the profession to be among the most in-demand occupations nationwide. However, there are very few educational programs words per minute. Through lab courses and practice time outside of class, students will acquire a typing speed of 225 words per minute, which is required to pass national certification exams. To pass the exams, a typing speed of 225 words per minute is required. available to interested students. “Area court reporters tell me all the time how In response to the demand, Lake Land College Business Division faculty worked closely with area reporters to create a Court Reporting Technology Associate Degree program. there is never a day they don’t want to go to work. Each day is different and exciting—you never know what you’ll hear and translate day to day,” Daugherty said. The program is designed to train students for careers in the judicial setting as either official or freelance court reporters or in Stenotype machines will be available through a rent-to-own process and free software will be provided through Lake Land. providing captioning for broadcast television and internet programs. The captioning specialization prepares students for careers Local court reporters will also be available throughout the program to mentor students. providing captioning for broadcast television and internet. Captioners also work with the deaf or hard-of-hearing population, providing an accurate word-for-word text translation in education, civic and corporate settings. “Every student will likely reach a plateau as they increase their typing speed. It will be highly beneficial for the students to have mentors available to help them overcome that plateau,” Daugherty said. THE ONLINE Most court reporting schools have a starting tuition rate of $40,000. This can reach up to $70,000 in various areas across the United States. However, Lake Land College will not exceed $8,000 for the entire COURT REPORTING PROGRAM WILL BEGIN IN SPRING 2021. The final semester of the program, students will complete a one-hour internship course where they will be placed in court rooms under the supervision of the judge and local court reporter. two-year program. For more information about the Court “Lake Land makes it possible to receive a quality education, earn an associate degree and walk away with the certification needed Reporting Technology associate degree program, contact Daugherty at 217-234-5355 or kdaugherty@lakelandcollege.edu. to enter the field at a tuition rate that is well under the national average for court reporting,” Kathleen Daugherty, business instructor/ program coordinator, office professionalmedical, said. HOW DO COURT REPORTERS CAPTURE SPEECH? Keeping up with the pace of regular speech, the program is designed to train students on a specialized, 24-key, shorthand keyboard used by court reporters and captioners, known as the stenotype machine. Rather than typing out each word letter for letter as on a traditional keyboard, stenographers spell out syllables phonetically on a stenotype machine. This form of specialized shorthand allows court reporters and captioners to capture speech with near complete accuracy. Most English speakers speak around 300 words per minute.

COURT REPORTERS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND According to O*NETOnLine, the 2018 annual salary of court reporters and captioners in Illinois averaged $63,500.

CONVENIENT ONLINE FORMAT This program can be completed entirely online.