![\"A](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/CC-blue.jpeg?resize=638%2C410&ssl=1\")
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By Heather Doherty<\/a><\/em> \u00a0 Most college and university students who use closed captions and transcripts on video and multimedia find them helpful as a learning tool, despite them not regularly being made available, according to new research from Oregon State University.<\/p>\n One of the first surveys of its type, of 2,124 students across 15 public and private universities nationwide, found that 98.6 percent of students who use captions say captions are helpful, with 75 percent of them noting that they use captions as a learning aid in face-to-face and online classrooms. For video transcripts, students referenced the tool as a learning aid 85 percent of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n More than half of students surveyed said captions help by improving comprehension. The most common reasons students use captions are to help them focus, retain information and overcome poor audio quality of the videos, while transcripts are often used as study guides and to find and retain information.<\/span><\/p>\n The national study, conducted by the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit<\/span><\/a> in collaboration with 3Play Media<\/span><\/a>, also shows that among the students surveyed, only 13 percent had registered with an office of disability services and less than 12 percent require academic accommodations. Of all respondents, 19 percent cited having difficulty with hearing and 37 percent have difficulty with vision.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMany people associate the use of closed captions and transcripts only with disability accommodation, and that can mean they are not made widely available,\u201d said Katie Linder<\/a>, director of the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Unit and author of the study. \u201cOne hope for this study was to help educate university administrators about how a range of students are using these tools, and that making them more available could help more learners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Oregon State Ecampus Research Director and author of the study Katie Linder, Ph.D., found that most college and university students who use closed captions and transcripts find them helpful as a learning tool, despite not being regularly made available.<\/p><\/div>\n According to Linder, closed captions and transcripts are now a legal obligation for universities that receive federal funding when they create videos for courses and for institutional purposes, to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDespite this, many institutions do not understand the legal obligation, or they only associate these tools with disability accommodation and do not consider how they could be helpful to all students,\u201d Linder said.<\/span><\/p>\n The study found that almost 100 percent of survey respondents had at least one course, either face-to-face or online, that included some video content. However, more than one quarter of respondents were unsure about the availability of closed captions and almost one in five were not sure about the availability of transcripts for the videos in their courses.<\/span><\/p>\n “Not only is captioning often necessary for accessibility compliance, but, as the study shows, 75 percent of students use captions as a learning aid to improve their focus, retention, engagement and comprehension when watching videos for class,\u201d said Lily Bond, director of marketing at 3Play Media, a company that provides closed captioning, transcription and subtitling solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n “<\/span>One hope for this study was to help educate university administrators about how a range of students are using these tools and that making them more available could help more learners.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cAs the use of video in higher education becomes more commonplace, making captions and transcripts more widely available should be a priority for institutions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The survey was voluntary, conducted online and contained 46 questions. All study participants were college and university undergraduate and graduate students, mainly undergraduate, over the age of 18, and the majority of them came from public, four-year institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, this study is just scratching the surface of what we know about how students use and perceive closed captions and transcripts in the college and university classroom,\u201d Linder said. \u201cAdditional research related to student use and perceptions of closed captions and transcripts is welcomed and encouraged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A summary<\/span><\/a> of the findings is available online at http:\/\/bit.ly\/2eKmswJ<\/span><\/a>, as well as a downloadable version of the full report.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Oregon State Ecampus Research Unit and 3Play Media are running a separate national study focused on how institutions use closed captioning and transcripts. Those results will be released in December\u00a02016.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" <\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Most college and university students who use closed captions and transcripts on video and multimedia find them helpful as a learning tool, despite them not regularly being made available, according to new research from Oregon State University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[554,26,68,25,24,163],"class_list":["post-354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-disability-access-services","tag-distance-education","tag-katie-linder","tag-online-education","tag-online-learning","tag-oregon-state-ecampus-research-unit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/CC-blue.jpeg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-5I","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":374,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/higher-education-closed-captions\/","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":0},"title":"OSU study: Confusion surrounds closed captioning implementation within higher education","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"December 6, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Motivations and implementation efforts vary when it comes to captioning videos at higher education institutions, new research from Oregon State University shows.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A designed image of a coliseum with mismatched, leaning pillars that set the top of the building askew. 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The insights could help instructors understand how to support this growing group of students.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Photovoice-hero-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Photovoice-hero-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Photovoice-hero-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Photovoice-hero-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2926,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/college-credit-transfer\/","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":2},"title":"College credit transfer turns \u201csome college\u201d into real progress toward your bachelor\u2019s degree","author":"Jean Dion","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State accepts up to 130 quarter transfer credits (or 90 semester credits) toward a bachelor\u2019s degree. Here\u2019s what to know about college credit transfer and how to turn your past education into a future bachelor\u2019s degree earned online from Oregon State University Ecampus.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A student wearing a pink sweater sits outside in front of green plants and looks at an open laptop.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/transfer-credits-Tania-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/transfer-credits-Tania-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/transfer-credits-Tania-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/transfer-credits-Tania-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":654,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/mary-ellen-dello-stritto\/","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":3},"title":"Getting to know Mary Ellen Dello Stritto","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"November 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"It took one high school psychology class to kick-start Mary Ellen Dello Stritto's lifelong interest in how humans behave. Her educational history and subsequent career in higher education are inextricably linked to studying and educating others on that behavior. And now as the assistant director for Oregon State Ecampus Research\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, assistant director of the OSU Ecampus Research Unit, is smiling near a bookshelf in the Valley Library.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/mary-ellen-web.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/mary-ellen-web.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/mary-ellen-web.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2479,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/ecampus-releases-learning-skills-tool\/","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":4},"title":"Oregon State Ecampus releases new tool to help students improve their learning strategies and skills","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"February 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Learning Skills Journey Tool is the result of an in-depth research study, conducted by OSU Ecampus and Brigham Young University. Learn more about the tool's creation, how it's being used, and how it can help students at your university.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Joann Malumalemu","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Learning-Skills-Journey-Tool-Joann-Malumaleumu-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Learning-Skills-Journey-Tool-Joann-Malumaleumu-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Learning-Skills-Journey-Tool-Joann-Malumaleumu-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Learning-Skills-Journey-Tool-Joann-Malumaleumu-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2498,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/ecampus-2023-online-education-scholarly-publications\/","url_meta":{"origin":354,"position":5},"title":"Want to know what some of the top minds in online education are thinking about?","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"March 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The team at Ecampus offered up eight scholarly articles and trade publications in 2023. Check out this round-up of their work and dive deeper into topics like quality assurance in online education, inclusive learning design, digital accessibility, and much more.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Macro image of magazines open on a table.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Ecampus-scholarly-publications-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Ecampus-scholarly-publications-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Ecampus-scholarly-publications-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/News-Ecampus-scholarly-publications-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/354\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/em><\/a>October 31, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Oregon](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Katie-Linder.jpg?resize=265%2C265&ssl=1\")