Student Uses and Perceptions of Closed Captions & Transcripts
Video in higher education has become commonplace. According to the students surveyed, almost 100% of courses included some video content in both online and face-to-face environments. Closed captioning and transcription are also becoming a lot more common, but questions abound. Why do students use captions/transcripts and how do they support learning? Why and how often do students who are not deaf or hard of hearing use captions/transcripts? Which subgroups of students use captions/transcripts and how much do they rely on them? Are there common hindrances that can be mitigated?
This study was conducted by the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit under research director Dr. Katie Linder.
The study was conducted in collaboration with 3Play Media.
© Copyright 3Play Media
98.6% of students
find captions helpful
71% of students
without hearing difficulties use captions at least some of the time
66% of ESL students
find captions "very" or "extremely" helpful
Groups That Find Captions Helpful
Reasons for Using Captions
How often do students without hearing difficulties use captions?
75% of students
that use captions said they use captions as a learning aid
How do captions help as a learning aid?
52% of students
that use captions said captions help as a learning aid by improving comprehension
Do students know how to tell if a video has captions?
15% of students
don't know how to tell if a video has captions
Conducted by Oregon State University's Ecampus Research Unit
Download this free 52-page report to get results from the largest IRB-approved study on student usage and perceptions of closed captions and transcripts. Using data collected from 2,124 student participants from across 15 public and private colleges and universities, the results are carefully analyzed and broken down by different student subgroups. This report sheds light on many critical issues surrounding accessibility and the rapidly growing usage of video in higher education.
The most common reason students use captions is to help them
focus.
Why do students use closed captions?
Why do students use transcripts?
The most common reason students use transcripts is as
study guides.