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Today's e-learning environments are dominated by video, reflecting a worldwide trend toward video-based information. According to Cisco research, worldwide IP video traffic will account for 82 percent of all IP traffic by 2022, up from 75 percent in 2017!
With so many of us watching videos online, content providers must make their films as accessible as possible, especially in education - where we should aim to make possibilities available to everyone.
Thankfully, there are a few easy measures you can take to make your educational films more accessible. This not only makes excellent financial sense, but it also guarantees that as many individuals as possible have access to your educational materials in the manner that best fits them.
1. Include captions in your video
According to the World Health Organization, debilitating hearing loss affects over 5% of the world's population, or 466 million individuals (432 million adults and 34 million children). By 2050, it is predicted that over 900 million individuals – or one out of every 10 people would suffer from hearing loss.
Captions, which are a written representation of the audio material that is synced with the video, are necessary for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as for non-native English speakers.
Furthermore, subtitles allow students to see the spelling of technical terminology or new vocabulary in the video, which can aid learning. Sound effects, music cues, and other noises will be included in strong captions to assist the viewer in comprehending the film better.
2. Transcript is required
A transcript of your video, in addition to captions, will assist in capturing all of the spoken audio, on-screen text, and explanations of essential visual information without the requirement for the video to be present. A transcript is a written version of your media material that aids in making your video content available to everybody, even those who are unable to see it due to technical constraints or accessibility issues such as slow internet speed.
Transcripts are also beneficial to SEO since they make your video's material easily accessible by search engine bots and help individuals who don't have time to view the full video to rapidly browse or search its contents.
3. Provide audio description
A distinct narrative audio track that summarizes the major visual components inside your material is known as audio description. For
individuals who are unable to watch the film, this continuous narration is essential for them to comprehend its contents.
Individuals on the autism spectrum find that audio description helps them comprehend movements or facial expressions, which might be crucial for any educational film.
A narrative will aid viewers in comprehending all of the action in the film and will provide an alternative, aural manner of comprehending the material.
Furthermore, audio description enables viewers of your instructional films to enjoy the information without seeing the visual content. This will benefit auditory learners and make your video more accessible to individuals who want to consume material on the move, similar to a podcast.
4. Make use the media player is accessible
Last but not least, when it comes to uploading your instructive video, selecting an accessible media player is critical. It's pointless to spend money on high-quality closed captions or audio explanations if the video player you use to publish your video doesn't support them.
You should consider the following issues:
1. Does this media player support closed captions?
2. Is this media player compatible with a variety of systems and browsers?
3. Is it possible to manage the media player without using a mouse, such as using keyboard controls for students with disabilities?
4. Are the buttons on the media player easy to see and understand for visually challenged people?
Organizations who make their instructional films accessible can reap a slew of advantages, including higher traffic (due to the videos' suitability for a broader audience), improved search engine indexing, and a better overall experience for individuals learning from the material.
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