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Why do I need to caption and transcribe?
- Improves retention for all learners given the multi-modal learning mediums of sight and sound
- Provides content appropriate for different learning styles
- Supports students with varied comprehension levels (ESL, DSS)
- Compliance with the law - section 508, 504 and some state and local laws that state material must be accessible to all
When is captioning required and optional?
What multimedia material do you need to caption for your online course? Do you always have to caption? What if it's raw footage? What if it's on YouTube? What if it's a sample of student work?
When are captioning/transcripts required?
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If the material has video and audio and will be archived for repeated use, then you need to have the material captioned. If the material has both audio and video, you need to caption. A transcript is not sufficient. (About transcripts: If the material is audio only, no video, and is archived, then a transcript is all you need.)
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If the video will also be shown in the classroom, regardless of whether it is instructor-owned or campus-owned, it must be captioned if any enrolled student requires a captioning accommodation.
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If you take clips from longer works and string them together and archive the finished video, then it must be captioned.
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Any video created by the campus and placed on a public website.
When is captioning optional?
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If the material is student work or other raw footage that will not be archived for repeated use.
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If the video already has foreign language subtitles, do not caption unless requested to do so as an accommodation.
Bottom line: If you're keeping it and more than a limited audience might access it, then caption or transcribe it.