Why Accessible Video and Audio Matters
Video and audio add variety, flexibility, and depth to a course. They support different learning styles and allow students to revisit material at their own pace.
However, without captions or transcripts, videos and audio recordings can create barriers. At least 1 in 8 people in the U.S. experience hearing loss (NIDCD, 2021). Many more students choose captions for convenience, clarity, or reinforcement. Ensuring your course media is accessible benefits all students, not just those with hearing disabilities.
Captioning & Accessible Video Content
- Machine Captioning (Recommended Starting Point)
All videos uploaded to YuJa include automatic machine-generated captions at no cost. For many instructional videos, these captions provide a high level of accuracy and can be manually reviewed and edited by faculty as needed.
- Human Captioning (Optional, By College Approval)
In some cases, such as courses with highly technical language, multiple speakers, or challenging audio conditions, machine captions may require more extensive editing. To support these situations, an optional process is available for Dean-approved access to human captioning within YuJa. Human captions are created by trained professionals and typically provide a higher level of accuracy. Access to this service is requested through a short online form and requires approval from the faculty member’s college, with the associated captioning costs covered by the requesting college.
How to Use Video and Audio in Canvas
There are several simple ways to make sure the videos you share in your courses are accessible. We encourage all faculty to use YuJa, a video-recording platform built directly into Canvas. YuJa automatically captions videos recorded through its system. You can also upload videos into YuJa for captioning.
The video below walks you through captioning videos in YuJa. If you need additional help, check out these resources:
General Tips for Alternative Texts and Image Descriptions:
- Keep it short. Aim for 6–10 minute lecture videos rather than a single 50-minute recording. If longer videos are necessary, provide time stamps or reflection pauses.
- Always caption or transcribe. All course videos should include accurate, synchronized captions. Audio content should have transcripts.
Additional Resources
- This page walks you through how to edit caption in YuJa: Editing Captions in the Video Editor
- This Canvas page contains resources from Digital Learning on creating videos with YuJa: YuJa Resources
Need Help?
- Stop by our Virtual Support Drop-In Zoom Room, which is open Monday – Friday, 9-4.
- Book a time to meet with a team member through our Digital Learning Bookings page!
- Email us at its.digitallearning@unomaha.edu.