Looking to expand your knowledge of digital accessibility and learn quick strategies that you can easily integrate into your workflow? CATL’s blog post series on digital accessibility catalogues some helpful tips and tricks we’ve shared in our Teach Tuesday e-newsletter!
In this tip, we’ll discuss how to add machine-generated captions to your videos and edit captions in Kaltura (My Media).
Adding Machine-Generated Captions to Kaltura Videos
Adding machine-generated (automatic) captions to your own instructional videos is as simple as uploading them to your Kaltura (My Media) library. Kaltura will automatically create and apply machine-generated captions to new video entries, making your videos more accessible to all students.
Note: If you use any Kaltura videos that pre-date Dec. 1, 2021, you will have to manually request machine-generated captions, which takes just a couple clicks.
Editing Closed Captions for Kaltura Videos
Machine-generated captions can go a long way in terms of media accessibility, but they are not perfect. That is why it is important to review and correct automatic captions to ensure that there are not significant errors that would hinder a student’s understanding of the video content. Kaltura has a built-in captioning editor that you can use to correct the captions on your Kaltura (My Media) videos. Watch the short video below to learn how to use the caption editor in less than four minutes.
If you use videos in your course that are hosted by a platform other than Kaltura, CATL encourages you to check to see if these videos have captions. YouTube videos created in the last few years usually have auto-generated captions labelled “English (Auto).” Many companies and organizations that publish YouTube content will add professional (edited) English captions with proper capitalization and punctuation, which are usually just labelled “English.” Try to stick with media sources that offer professional captions whenever possible.
Looking for More Tips?
Explore even more quick tips in our Digital Accessibility Tips post, where you’ll find a growing list of strategies to help make your course materials more accessible.
Further Accessibility Training
Ready to dive deeper into digital accessibility? Essentials of Accessibility for Faculty and Staff is a free, self-paced, online course that will teach you the basics of digital accessibility and accessibility best practices for several key applications that UW-Green Bay employees may use in their daily work. We encourage you to self-enroll in the course to learn practical approaches for remediating digital accessibility issues in a variety of use cases and applications.
Connect with CATL
You are not alone in your accessibility journey! While CATL cannot advise on the legal specifications of Title II, instructors are always welcome to schedule a consultation with us or stop by our office (CL 405) to discuss the accessibility of your teaching materials.