Videos
Make Videos and Recorded Lectures Accessible
Videos and recorded lectures are commonly used to present course content. To ensure all students can access the information in these materials, videos should include captions and other accessibility features.
Captions make spoken content accessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they also benefit many other learners. Students who are learning English, studying in quiet environments without headphones, or reviewing complex material often rely on captions to support comprehension and retention.
Add Captions to Videos
All videos used in a course should include captions, so that spoken content is accessible to all users.
Captions should:
- Display spoken dialogue and important audio cues
- Be synchronized with the video
- Be accurate and easy to read
Auto-generated captions can be helpful, but they should be reviewed and edited when possible to improve accuracy.
Provide Transcripts for Audio Content
If you share audio-only content, such as podcasts or recorded lectures without video, provide a text transcript so students can access the spoken information.
Transcripts allow students to read or search the content and support a variety of learning preferences.
Use Canvas Studio for Captioning
Canvas Studio provides tools that allow instructors to easily add captions to videos uploaded to Canvas.
Features of Canvas Studio include:
- Automatic caption generation
- The ability to edit captions for accuracy
- Downloadable transcripts of captioned content
- The option to upload third-party caption files
Canvas Studio captions are typically generated with approximately 85% accuracy, so reviewing captions is recommended when possible.
Use ITLE Captioning Services
The Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence (ITLE) provides captioning services for Oklahoma State University.
ITLE captioning services aim to achieve 100% caption accuracy for media files used in courses. Faculty can contact ITLE Captioning Services for support with captioning course videos.