Use Videos with Accurate Captioning
Accuracy Matters
The image above shows a snapshot of a video wherein Governor Mitt Romney is giving a speech. YouTube's "auto-captioning" attempted to caption the video. This auto-captioning service mistakenly identified the phrase "of strength" as "airstrikes." While an occasional typographical error would not cause great consternation, one inaccurate word can dramatically change the nature of the message.
In the previous example,Mr. Romney began the speech by calling for a strong military. It's not necessarily unreasonable that he may be calling for increased airstrikes at the end of the video. A hearing-impaired individual relying on these inaccurate captions would not be able to determine his intent.
This captioned video, while almost entirely accurate, would not be considered to have met the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance standards. In addition to causing confusion, auto-generated captions like the above example often lack punctuation, and contain multiple spelling errors, making it challenging for learners to follow.
How Accurate Then?
While the US government has been reluctant to provide a specific measure of what constitutes an appropriate level of accuracy, we should strive for 100% accuracy in captions. The US government has indicated that vendors which provide captioning for live legislative broadcasts should be capable of providing 98.6% accuracy. Therefore, we will use 98.6% as our metric for ensuring captions satisfy expectations related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Another important element to keep in mind regarding captions is punctuation. To satisfy ADA expectations, punctuation is necessary. Many of the auto-generated captions (such as YouTube's technology) create captions which may appear accurate at a glance. However, such captions do not include punctuation, and thus are not ADA-compliant (regardless of how accurate they may seem.) It's not difficult to understand how the absence of punctuation can inhibit learning a nutritious breakfast will always help start the day Jason Frank has too many legos ... I think you get the point. :)
Sounds in Videos
Any sounds that are essential to the learning should appear noted in the captions as well. For example, in the following video clip, it is essential for learners to know that a dolphin creates a clicking noise when using sonar. The clicking noise is indicated in parenthesis within the captions. You'll only need to watch about the first 20 seconds of the video below to see the notation.
Captions vs. Transcripts
Captions are necessary if the timing of the audio component needs to be coupled with the video component in order for viewers to understand the material. For example, in the video below, it is necessary for learners to view the captions along with the illustrations to understand the material.
In the video below (used to promote another workshop), captions are not necessary as the audio does not need to be timed with the video in order for the information to be understood. A transcript could suffice (as shown in the example linked beneath the video.) Transcripts can be provided in a Word document, .pdf file or typed directly into a web page.
View transcriptAndy’s Workshop Introduction
Andy Sheppard:
Hi, I'm Andy Sheppard. I’m an Instructional Designer here at Santa Fe College and I'll be facilitating the upcoming "Mobile Movie Maker" workshop. I just wanted to take a few moments and introduce myself to you via video.
And the video you are watching was actually created and edited using our "Studio in a Bag" equipment. You'll find some other examples created using the same equipment within this course site.
Well, I just wanted to briefly introduce myself and I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming face-to-face workshop. Thanks for watching.
Captions Benefit All Learners
The use of accurate captions ensure a diverse audience can view your video, including hearing impaired individuals and people for whom English is a second language. Santa Fe College has attracted learners from over 94 nations. For many of these students (and students residing domestically), English is not their first language.
Moreover, seeing text and hearing audio together generally reinforces learning concepts in all learners. Captions foster an understanding of unique vocabulary terms, resulting in increased comprehension and retention of material. Videos with accurate captions can be found from a variety of sources including:
Optional reading: You might be surprised which students make frequent use of captions.