Videos are a powerful tool for instruction, but without captions, they exclude students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and others who may rely on text support in specific situations.
What are captions?
Captions are a text version of spoken dialogue and important sounds overlaid on the video. They're essential for accessibility and can also enhance the experience for non-native language speakers, people with learning disabilities, as well as anyone in a noisy environment.
Users can visit the WebAIM article library for more information on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for Captions.
Where are captions required?
In Canvas, captions should be available for any video you embed or link to in:
- Pages
- Assignments
- Modules
- Announcements
Deploying captioned video
Use videos that already have accurate captions (such as those from YouTube with verified captions). For your own videos:
Impacted Audience
- Users who are deaf or otherwise hard of hearing
- Users in a quiet location where public audio is not permitted
- Users in a loud location where audio cannot be heard reliably
Summary
- Captions support diverse learners and viewing environments
- Use captioned videos or add/edit them yourself
- Don’t assume auto-captions are accurate; always double-check