Why it matters
This practice allows individuals who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing to fully engage with these materials, removing barriers that may otherwise cause them to miss out on important information.
Captions and transcripts are essential to making course content accessible for many students who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, but they can also allow all learners to connect with course content more effectively. A collaborative study from Oregon State University and 3Play Media showed that 78% of surveyed students found captions helpful as a learning aid that could improve comprehension, accuracy, engagement, and retention of information (Linder 2016). Captions and transcripts are also helpful for English language learners, students without access to quiet work environments or high-speed internet, and anyone who benefits from reading or revisiting spoken content at their own pace.
Adding captions to your multimedia content can have a significant impact on student engagement and signal Brockport’s commitment to access and inclusion. Most video content creation tools now have methods of adding text to relay the spoken dialogue and narration of your content, including social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Brockport’s video content creation platform, Kaltura, is available in Brightspace and allows users to record videos, automatically generate captions and transcripts, and edit them for accuracy.