Closed Captioning Matters: Examining the Value of Closed Captions for "All" Students

As the number of online course offerings expands and student retention and graduation metrics proliferate, colleges and universities are examining how to maximize student comprehension, meet the needs of a diverse student body, comply with accessibility regulations, and avoid litigation. One area of particular interest is the use of closed captioning in online course materials. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg Distance Learning Accessibility Committee and faculty contributors conducted an initial investigation to determine the benefits of providing captioned media for students with and without disabilities. Reported here are student outcome data from two online courses and the benefits of captioning for students and faculty are explored. In addition, this practice brief includes a discussion about how captioned videos employ principles of universal design to make course content accessible to students in online courses. A section of the article addresses the cost of captioning videos as well as alternate transcription options. The article concludes with the results and recommendations for further research.