Automatic captions are generated for all videos uploaded to your MyMedia account. The accuracy depends on the recording and video authors are encouraged to edit the captions to improve accuracy and understanding. If the captions are not sufficient student needs, they can make a request through their module tutor or the ASSIST team to have professional captions generated.
Live lectures delivered on Collaborate do not, as a matter of course, need to be captioned. Where students have an additional need and require professional live captions in order to attend live lectures on Collaborate, then this will provided by the University, as long as the student is registered with the University's Additional Student Support and Inclusion Services Team (ASSIST) and has an Academic Inclusion Report (AIR) which states that captioning is necessary, or is in the process of getting an AIR and ASSIST confirm that that captioning is necessary. In some cases, hearing impaired students may prefer to have live Collaborate lectures sign-language interpreted rather than live captioned, in which case the best option is for them to view the Collaborate lecture in a study room at Waterside Campus, with a signer in the room with them.
Recordings of lectures which have been made in Collaborate, and which are available to students via the Collaborate recordings tab in NILE, do not need to be captioned. The exception to this is where a student with an AIR requires captions. However, if the recorded lecture was professionally live captioned when it was delivered, the captions will available in the recording as well, therefore no further action will be necessary.
If it is the case that an uncaptioned Collaborate recording needs to be professionally captioned, the best option is to download the Collaborate recording, upload it to Kaltura, and contact your learning technologist to request professional captions, as Kaltura's automatically-generated captions will not be accurate enough for the needs of a student with an AIR. Please note that professional captions are created manually by a third-party supplier, and can take up to two weeks to be completed. Professional captions may only be requested where a student with an AIR needs the captions, as this is a chargeable service.
Live Collaborate lectures and recordings of Collaborate lectures can be auto-captioned by individual viewers if they use Google Chrome's Live Captions tool (see link below). However, while these captions will be fairly good, they will not be 100% accurate, and thus will not be sufficient for the needs of a student who has an AIR.
When uploading a video to Kaltura, a set of reasonably accurate captions will be automatically generated. Unless a student with an AIR needs captions, the auto-captions will be sufficient, and no further actions will be necessary. Where a student with an AIR requires captions on a Kaltura video, please contact your learning technologist to request professional captions, as Kaltura's auto-captions will not be accurate enough for the needs of a student with an AIR. Please note that professional captions are created manually by a third-party supplier, and can take up to two weeks to be completed. Professional captions may only be requested where a student with an AIR needs the captions, as this is a chargeable service.
Video and audio content on the websites and mobile applications of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 does not need to be captioned, as websites and mobile applications of public service broadcasters are exempt from the 2018 Accessibility regulations under Part 1, Regulation 4 (1) (a) (see link below). This exemption also covers content on Learning on Screen's service, BoB (Box of Broadcasts). More information about the accessibility of content on BoB can be found in Learning on Screen's Accessibility Statement (see link below).
Regarding other non-University websites and mobile applications, video and audio content that is not owned and controlled by the University (e.g., content on YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud) does not need to be captioned, as the Accessibility Regulations do not apply to third-party content that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the University. See Part 1, Regulation 4 (2) (e) of the Accessibility Regulations (see link below). However, this exemption does not apply to publically accessible media on third-party platforms that was created by University staff as part of their job. Where this is the case, the media on the third-party platform will need to be captioned to the standards set out in the Accessibility Regulations, regardless of whether or not a student with an AIR needs to access it.
In all cases where a student with an AIR requires captions in order to access media on non-University controlled platforms as part of their studies, then it will be necessary to take this in to account, and to provide a suitably captioned alternative, or to provide the student with a transcript of the recording.
More information about video and audio captioning and the Accessibility Regulations 2018 can be found on Jisc's guide, Video captioning and accessibility regulations (see link below).
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