We can all agree that COVID-19 has drastically changed our education system. For instance, virtual classrooms became the primary means for learners and educators to interact. Without the pandemic, most learners and teachers would never have become too well-versed in video chatting, teaching, and learning. However, as it becomes increasingly popular, modern challenges arise, such as poor communication, lack of comprehension, and limited resources for unique needs. Fortunately, academic transcription services have become reliable enough to support learning.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Academic transcription benefits both learners and educators. With transcripts, learners can focus on lectures and review concepts later. Educators can provide online resources and improve teaching by reviewing transcripts of their own lectures.
- Transcripts offer an alternative learning method for learners with different needs. Students who struggle with note-taking, auditory processing, or language barriers can benefit from written transcripts.
- Human transcription is your best option for complicated academic recordings. Automated transcription services will surely miss important details due to accents, jargon, and background noise.
What Is Academic Transcription?
Academic transcription means taking spoken academic recordings and turning them into written text. This can be interviews with experts for research projects, lectures from professors in college, or even dissertation defenses.
Any recording related to academics can be transcribed, which can be incredibly helpful if you are a student who missed a lecture and needs to review it later or a researcher who analyzes interview data in a more accessible format.
Types Of Academic Transcription By Detail
The transcription provider might ask you about the level of detail you’d like your research transcription to be, given that you aren’t paying for automated services. The ones below are the level of detail that you can choose from.
| Level of Detail | Description |
| Verbatim Transcription | Captures every single word spoken, including filler words (“um,” “uh”), stutters, and extraneous sounds. |
| Cleaned-up Transcription | Removes filler words, stutters, and non-word sounds while maintaining the overall flow and content. |
| Speaker Identification | Identifies each speaker in the recording, making it easier to follow a conversation with multiple participants. |
| Time-Stamped Transcription | Includes timestamps and transcribed text, allowing users to locate specific sections within the recording easily. |
Benefits Of Academic Transcription
The eLearning market is expected to hit $374 billion by 2026. With that type of growth comes many problems, and academic transcription can help. Here is how transcription can benefit students, learners, and educators.
For Learners
We at Ditto Transcripts have been in the industry since 2010, so believe us when we say transcribing academic materials has many benefits for learners. Let’s just tackle a few.
No Need To Take Note, Just Focus
Transcripts provide a complete lecture record, meaning learners can focus on properly listening and understanding the concepts. This is especially helpful for complicated lectures where full focus is needed.
Can Review Easily
Having transcripts means revisiting a specific point from a lecture when you need a refresher. This is helpful for students who need help understanding a particular lecture. They can rewind and review that section as often as needed until it clicks.
Can Study Easily
Academic transcripts aren’t just reading material but are also useful study tools. For instance, if you need to find information quickly, you can just search for the keywords to pinpoint the exact section you’re looking for – a lot easier than flipping through pages of notes, isn’t it?
Caters to Unique Needs
We all know that not everyone learns in the same way. Some students have learning disabilities, auditory processing issues, or language barriers—not to mention there are over 7,100 spoken languages in the world. Fortunately, academic transcripts can help bridge these gaps. A caption alongside virtual lectures can provide an alternative way of learning yet still promote better comprehension and inclusion.
For Educators
Since we’ve discussed the benefits of academic transcription for learners, let’s move on to the educators’ side.
Valuable Resource For Educational Needs
Educators can give students valuable study materials beyond handwritten notes. Transcripts uploaded to online learning platforms are useful to students who miss class or need extra support to improve their understanding.
Can Improve Your Teaching Skills
Have you ever wondered if your lectures have the desired effect on your students? Well, wonder no more. Reviewing past lectures through transcripts can help you spot areas of improvement. You can review your word choice, student questions, and lecture techniques—all in the interest of improving your lecture.
Improves Your Academic Research Efficiency
Academic research usually involves interviews, seminars, or focus group discussions. Converting these conversations into text means you no longer need to waste time trying to understand handwritten notes or recall specific points. Transcripts smoothen the research process, save time and effort, and allow you to spend more time on the lectures themselves.
Promotes Inclusivity
Transcripts can also be useful for educators who want to involve or include everybody in their classrooms. This way, no one gets left behind. By giving transcripts to students with disabilities or unique needs, everyone gets equal access to the lectures and can fully participate.
A Lot Easier To Keep Records Of Academic Work
Lectures, discussions, and presentations can all be documented through transcripts. This means it can now create a valuable archive that can be used for future reference or even refreshing your own memory on specific topics you covered in the past.
Lectures Where the Transcription Process Can Be Beneficial
Below are some of the most common types of lectures where transcriptions can support learning:
- Fast lectures
- Technical lectures
- Visual aid lectures
- Guest lectures by experts
- Lectures for students with hearing impairments
- Non-English lectures
- Lectures with multiple speakers and participants
Is It Better To Use Automated Transcription For Academic Recordings?
The short answer is “No”. Let me explain.
Although automated transcription has become quite common due to the popularity of AI, it’s not the perfect fit for every academic . Automated transcription can be an option for tasks where speed is more important than capturing every single detail—though I can’t think of many transcription tasks that require speed at the expense of accuracy.
Besides, automated transcription, with its 86% accuracy (at best), will only mess up the student’s learning process.
Automated systems are hugely impacted by heavy accents, technical jargon, background noise, multiple speakers, and other factors. In these scenarios, human transcriptionists are your best bet. Their ability to understand context, grasp unclear audio or video, and ensure terminology makes them the preferred choice for complicated academic recordings, especially those used for research or legal purposes.
That’s why using manual academic transcription services is the most efficient way to support learning.
Why Choose Ditto Transcripts As Your Academic Transcription Service?
Take advantage of all the benefits of academic transcription while enjoying Ditto’s perks.
- Experience: There’s no substitute for experience; since 2010, we’ve perfected our processes and tools to give our customers the highest level of service every single time.
- Accuracy: Accuracy is non-negotiable for lectures and research discussions.
- That’s why we focus on delivering transcripts with 99% accuracy.
- Human Transcribers: At Ditto, we don’t use automated transcription tools. All projects are done by humans, for humans, to ensure the highest level of accuracy.
- Speed: We know deadlines are essential, so we offer flexible turnaround times. This way, you can get the transcripts you need whenever you need them.
- Foreign Language: We offer transcription services in multiple languages. We can make your academic content accessible to foreign students.
- Customer Service: We also believe in providing quality customer service. Our team is here to answer your questions or address any concerns.
- ADA-Compliant: Our transcripts can help you comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing access to educational materials for students with disabilities.
- Security Compliance: We understand the importance of securing your data. So, we implement security to keep it confidential. When we say security, we mean CJIS, HIPAA, and FINRA compliance.
Ditto’s Transcription Supports Research And Learning
Academic transcription services can support learning by helping you focus on lectures, review concepts easily, and study efficiently. So, stop wasting time with inaccurate notes. Get a transcript with 99% accuracy at affordable rates and without any of the headaches.
Ditto Transcripts is a HIPAA, FINRA, and CJIS-compliant Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.
