What It Is

Captions are a written version of spoken dialogue and other sounds in videos, shown on displays like TV screens, computer monitors, or projectors. They are primarily designed for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, allowing them to fully engage with videos or multimedia content that includes audio. Captions can also show who is speaking, whether on or off camera. They often describe sound effects, such as "telephone ringing" or "footsteps," and use symbols for sounds like music. In addition to supporting students with hearing impairments, captions can be helpful for English language learners, those who are developing reading skills, students watching in noisy environments, or anyone who learns best through visual information.

Audio description is a narrated explanation of key visual elements in a video or media program, inserted during natural pauses in the dialogue. It helps provide access to visual information for individuals who are blind or have low vision by offering a verbal description of what is happening on screen. While audio description cannot always capture every visual detail in a scene, content creators and audio describers make thoughtful decisions about which visual elements to highlight. These choices aim to preserve the context of the media and ensure that the description offers a comparable viewing experience for those who cannot see the visuals, helping them engage with the story in a meaningful way.

Impact

Proper use of video captions and audio descriptions in educational settings significantly enhances learning by making content accessible to students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired, as well as supporting those with auditory processing or attention-related challenges; captions improve comprehension, literacy, and language acquisition for all learners—including early readers and non-native speakers—by providing synchronized textual representation of spoken content, while audio descriptions offer narrated access to critical visual information, enriching understanding of complex topics and fostering social inclusion; together, these features uphold inclusive and equitable learning environments and benefit diverse learning styles by enabling students to engage with material in noisy spaces, reference content quickly, and appreciate visual and auditory details that might otherwise be missed.

Dos and Don'ts

Do's:

• Do ensure captions are accurate and synchronized with the audio to avoid confusion and maximize comprehension.

• Do include speaker identification when multiple people speak or when the speaker is off-screen.

• Do caption sound effects and music cues when they add to understanding the video content.

• Do provide audio descriptions to describe important visual information for visually impaired students.

• Do write a script before recording to make caption editing easier.

Don'ts:

• Don’t rely solely on automatic speech-to-text without checking and correcting errors.

• Don’t include unnecessary filler words like "um" or "ah" unless meaningful for context.

• Don’t omit important non-dialog sounds if they affect meaning.

How-To

• CAT Resource: Uploading Pre-recorded Video to Your Panopto Library
• CAT Resource: Synchronized Media Accessibility Checklist
• Panopto: How to Edit or Delete Captions
• Panopto: Manually Caption Your Videos
• Panopto: How to Add Audio Descriptions

Need More Help?

You can always book a one-on-one consultation, visit one of our ed tech labs, or email cat@temple.edu for additional assistance!