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Captions ensure that students who are deaf or hard of hearing have equivalent access to course content. They also benefit:
- Students in noisy or quiet environments
- English language learners
- Students with processing differences
Providing captions or a transcript for video content is a legal requirement.
Below are resources to help you generate captions for your videos. After captions are auto-generated, you must:
- Review and edit captions for accuracy. Auto-generated captions often contain errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, or discipline-specific terminology.
- Provide audio descriptions when necessary. If important information is conveyed visually (charts, diagrams, on-screen text, demonstrations) but not spoken aloud, ensure that it is either narrated within the video or supplemented with an audio description so all students receive equivalent access.
Panopto
Panopto is UTRGV’s supported video platform and integrates directly with Brightspace. Make sure to edit captions for accuracy.
- Adding Auto-Generated Captions
- Creating and Adding a Closed Captioning (CC) file
- Adding Captions with the Closed Captions Editor
Brightspace Media Library
The Brightspace Media Library allows faculty to record short videos directly within Brightspace. This tool is ideal for announcements, module overviews, quick lectures, or assignment walkthroughs.
- Create a presentation using Web Capture
- Editing Captions
YouTube
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
Under ADA Title II (2024 DOJ Final Rule) and WCAG 2.1 AA (1.2.2 – Captions), all prerecorded instructional videos used in courses must include accurate captions.
Captions are required even if:
- No student has disclosed a disability
- The video is short
- The course is asynchronous
- The video is only used temporarily
Accessibility is proactive — not reactive.
A transcript is required when:
- Audio-only files are used (podcasts, lectures)
- Video content contains visual information not described in narration
You must provide audio description when:
- The video includes important visual content not explained verbally
- A graph, chart, or equation appears without explanation
- On-screen text appears but is not read aloud
- Demonstrations occur without narration
If your narration already explains everything visible on screen, you may not need a separate audio description track.
Yes — if you assign or embed them in your course.
Before using third-party videos:
- Check that captions are available
- Review for accuracy
- Avoid videos with poor or missing captions
If captions are not available, consider:
- Selecting an alternative video
- Providing an accessible equivalent resource