MediaSpace will start auto-captioning uploaded videos starting March 22 2025

Lee Duynslager<duynslag@msu.edu> -

The streaming and video sharing service will provide the service free of charge. Learn more about how that will impact you and the students and stakeholders that watch or listen to your videos.

Kaltura MediaSpace, an online video streaming and hosting service available to MSU faculty, staff, and students, will enable automatic caption generation for uploaded videos starting March 22, 2025. This auto captioning service is free of charge; however, the caption generation process is not immediate and may take two hours or longer to complete after a video is uploaded. It is important to note that these auto-generated captions have an accuracy rate of approximately 75%, which depends on the quality of the recorded audio. Users will need to review and edit the captions to ensure they are accurate and to ensure accessiblity.  If captions have already been created from zoom, these captions will remain in a separate file and an additional captions file will be created by Mediaspace.   

Research demonstrates the numerous benefits of video captions for diverse audiences. Captions not only improve comprehension and memory retention of video content (Gernsbacher, 2015), but they also support individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who are learning to read or acquiring a second language (Vanderplank, 2013). Adding accurate captions to videos ensures accessibility and enhances the learning experience for all viewers. For more information on working with videos, visit the MediaSpace help pages.  In addition, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that universities provide equal access to information for students with hearing impairments.   Let's take a proactive approach in providing accessible digital content.   

References

Gernsbacher, M. A. (2015). Video Captions Benefit Everyone. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2(1), 195–202.

Vanderplank, R. (2013). Déjà vu? A decade of research on language laboratories, television and video in language learning. Language Teaching, 43, 1–37.

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