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Media Captioning

If you use videos in your course or on the web, quality captioning is required to ensure equal access to all course content. Captioning can be useful not only for those with disabilities but also for those who speak English as a second language, non-traditional students taking courses, etc. For more information, please contact AccessMU@MiamiOH.edu.

Different Types of Captioning

Captions are the text of spoken words time-synchronized with video or a live speaker. They allow viewers to see the words and are used by people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Many students also use captioning as a learning aid. Captions should include relevant sound effects, identify the speaker, and describe other non-speech elements (e.g. people dancing).

Types of Captioning

Auto Captioning

Auto captioning uses automatic speech recognition to display captions. This captioning type should only be used as a learning aid. It is not fully accessible for d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing people due to inaccuracies, poor punctuation, and not referencing non-speech elements. However, if the captions are edited for accuracy, they can be used to meet accessibility standards.

Closed Captions

Closed captions are text versions of the audio content (including dialogue, speaker identification, and non-speech sounds such as [music] or [applause]) that viewers can turn on or off.

Open Captions

Open captions are captions that are permanently visible (or "burned in") to the video file and cannot be turned off by the viewer.

Real-Time Captioning

Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) provides live, real-time captions of spoken content. A professionally trained captioner transcribes the audio as it is spoken, and the resulting text is immediately displayed to a d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing viewer.

What are Transcripts?

A transcript is a complete, written text version of all spoken audio content from a video or audio file. For videos, a descriptive transcript also includes important visual information needed to understand the content.

What are Subtitles?

Subtitles are the text display of spoken dialogue intended for viewers who can hear the audio but do not speak the language being used. They assume the viewer can hear sound effects and non-speech information.

Videos on Miami University Webpages

Cascade users must ensure that any posted video is captioned. Videos can be captioned using a number of tools, including Kaltura and YouTube. However, keep in mind that YouTube's automatic closed-captioning tool is only a starting point. Once YouTube has processed automatic captioning, the captions will need to be edited. See YouTube Videos below for more information.

If you have further questions about website accessibility within the Cascade CMS, please contact any member of the UCM web team at WebAdmin@MiamiOH.edu. The AccessMU Center can provide consultation and training to make your materials accessible.

YouTube Videos

How to Check YouTube Videos for Auto-Generated or Human-Generated Captions

  • Turn captions off/on and look to see what is designated in the upper left corner of the video.
  • Alternatively, open the video settings and see which caption track is selected. Auto-generated tracks will say "English (auto-generated)."

Adding/Editing Captions on YouTube

Once your video has been uploaded, YouTube will automatically generate captions for your video. Depending on the length and complexity of the video, this could take minutes or a few hours. Once your video’s automatic captions have been completed, you’ll see a draft in YouTube Studio to “duplicate and edit. 

  1. From your user profile, select YouTube Studio.
  2. From the left menu, select Subtitles.
  3. Select the video that you'd like to edit.
  4. Click ADD LANGUAGE and select your language.
  5. Under "Subtitles", click ADD.
  6. Add your subtitles and captions. Read more: Add Subtitles and Captions.

Downloading and Editing Caption Files

You can also edit captions by downloading the caption file and using a plain text (.txt) editing program like TextEdit or Notepad to edit the captions. This is helpful for running a spell checker or performing other editing tasks.

  1. Go to your Video Manager.
  2. Next to the video you want to edit captions for, click Edit, then Subtitles and CC.
  3. Select the caption track you want to download.
  4. Click the Actions drop-down menu.
  5. Click the caption file format you need. Learn more about caption file formats
  6. Your browser will download a file containing the captions track. Edit the file and save it.
  7. Follow the instructions to upload the captions to your video again.

How to Search for YouTube Videos with Captions

Videos with captions available will have a “CC” icon underneath the video summary in search results. If you’d like search results to only show videos with captions available, enable this search filter:

  1. Enter your keywords in the YouTube search bar.
  2. Click the Filters button.
  3. Click CC (closed caption).

Canvas Studio

Canvas Studio has replaced Kaltura as Miami's recommended media platform. When you upload a video to Canvas Studio, auto-generated captions are added by default. You can edit, download, replace, or delete the captions file. You can further improve auto-captions before making manual edits by enabling and utilizing the Assisted Caption Editing feature.

Although YouTube media cannot be automatically captioned in Canvas Studio, you can upload a caption file or manually create captions for your uploaded media.

Visit the Canvas Studio Hub for additional information and tutorials.

Request Captioning Services

Course Accommodations

Captioned media requests for students with accommodations should be submitted via SAM. Instructors will receive an email titled "[SDS] Captioned Media Instructions" with a link to the SAM captioning request form. If you are an instructor and you did not receive this email, please contact the Miller Center for Student Disability Services at 513-529-1541 or SDS@MiamiOH.edu.

All Other Requests

Miami University departments can also submit files for captioned media services. Each department will be responsible for the cost of these services and must provide a Cost Center code at the time of the request. Captioned media requests start at $1.00/per minute. Please allow 7-10 business days for these services.

Contact the AccessMU Center at 513-529-0200 or AccessMU@MiamiOH.edu for pricing if your captioned media is needed sooner than 7-10 business days.

Captioned Media Request Form

Podcasts and Other Audio Files

All audio files, including podcasts, should be accessible. The easiest way to make your content accessible is by providing a transcript. Providing transcripts for your audio files will benefit several individuals: people with disabilities, non-native speakers of English, people in noisy environments, fast readers, and people with low-bandwidth or poor connections. Additionally, make sure your website and the media player are accessible. Contact the AccessMU Center at 513-529-0200 or AccessMU@MiamiOH.edu for more information.

For more information about captioning and audio description, please visit the resources below: