Accessibility in Closed Captioning
Why Does Accessibility Matter?
The US government has enacted Section 508 of the American Disability Act as part of the legal mandate for higher education institutions to ensure educational materials and resources are accessible and essential to all types of students. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) on web accessibility are provided to help and support this effort. Besides the legal mandate towards providing access to information for the public interests, UCSB, as part of the University of California system, is committed to providing electronic accessibility and an environment that is accessible to everyone using the internet.
Reference: [CSUN Academic Technology]. (2014, August 20). Why Accessibility Matters [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTVZwqUIqTE&t=128s.
Why is it important to have captions for our recorded instructions?
Closed Captions or video transcripts ensure that all learners can access usable learning materials and resources. Providing a secondary source of alternative access to information in the video and engaging students in other ways aligned closely with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles - Providing multiple representations and multiple means to engage in learning materials.
Other user benefits from video captions
Besides learners who are deaf, hard of hearing, or with other disabilities, closed captioning helps English Language Learners with reading comprehension, and any public users with access to the video.
Closed Captioning Workshop
- Closed Captioning Workshop Presentation SlidesClosed captioning workshop powerpoint slide presentation.
Sign into your UCSB account to view this recording. Closed captioning is provided in the video player.
Closed Captioning Tools
Here are some of the tools that UCSB and Teaching & Learning use to provide Closed Captioning for recorded video instructions. We have included some instructions in this Libguide to help you utilize these tools.
- Zoom Captions
- Enabling Zoom Captions in your setting provides real-time live captions and downloadable caption files at the end of your meeting.
- Google Slides Presentation
- Live captions are automatically transcribed on the screen during your slide presentation. Speech accuracy may be inconsistent with this tool.
- Gauchocast Automatic Closed Captioning
- Verbit's Professional Closed Captioning Service
- See directions on how to request Verbit Service below.
- Canvas Studio
- Watch this short (1:24 minutes) video on adding captions using Canvas Studio.
Add Captions in Gauchocast/Panopto
Watch this 1-minute tutorial video to learn how to add captions using Gauchocast's Automatic Captioning tool.
Watch this 1-minute tutorial video to learn how to embed your closed captioned video from Gauchocast into Gauchospace.
- Gauchospace, Gauchocast & Panopto Tutorial VideosBrowse through 8 training videos on Gauchocast/Panopto in Gauchospace.
Gauchocast in Canvas
- Gauchocast in Canvas
Learn how to add Gauchocast videos in Canvas.
Request Verbit Service
Verbit is a professional transcription service that works with the University. UCSB Library has a Verbit contract to provide a highly accurate transcription for special accommodation requests. Verbit provides features to identify and add multiple speakers' names in the video transcription. These services are available for content that is publicly viewable by any UCSB Library end user or for courses that have students with campus accommodations. If you are interested in using Verbit's service, please follow the directions to upload your video in Gauchocast, please contact Becca Greer (rrgreer@ucsb.edu) and Tina Lin (tinalin@ucsb.edu).
The cost of Verbit is 85 cents per minute of video transcription. When you request Verbit transcription, please consider the turnaround time and cost for your recorded instructions before reaching out to Teaching & Learning for Verbit service. The turnaround time for a video transcription is about 2-3 days; once you receive the transcription file from a T&L member, double-check and review the correct captions and add to the video before sharing it with the designated LMS or other websites.
Accessibility
- Create Accessible PDFs in AdobeLearn how to apply accessible features for your PDF documents in Adobe Acrobat.
- Accessibility Guidelines for Word DocsProvide best practices for making Word documents accessible.
- University of California: Electronic AccessibilityUC guidelines and best practices on electronic accessibility.
- ADA Compliance for Online Course DesignProvide multiple methods to make courses accessible for students with disabilities and English language learners.
Additional Resources
If you need access to Gauchocast (Panopto), Gauchospace, or Canvas, please contact teaching&learning@library.ucsb.edu for more information.