Captions are text that have been synchronized with media (usually video) to convey meaning, context, and any information that is integral to the understanding of a video. Closed captions do more than convey spoken words, but should convey sounds, noises, and background elements as well. In short, closed captions assume that the listener cannot hear any of the content and captions seek to provide an understanding of the content without the need for audio. Many video production tools now incorporate speech recognition systems to produce automatically generated closed captions.

This particular page will share written tips, screenshots, and a video tutorial for utilizing automatic closed captions, auto-translated captions, and improving the display of automatic closed captions in YouTube. Teachers can utilize the tips on this page when delivering instructional content to students or for showing students how they are able to make their own video viewing experience more accessible.

Closed captions benefit a variety of learners in many ways. Firstly, some learners require access to closed captions (CC) as part of individualized education plans (IEPs). This is a legal requirement teachers must fulfill. However, in addition to supporting students with IEPs, closed captions ensure full, equal access to audio content by providing written text of what is being said or text descriptions of any noises that provide context in audio or video. Certainly, captions can help support students deaf and hard of hearing students, however, English Language Learners can also benefit from closed captions. Roughly 1 in 10 students in the United States is an English Language Learner-about 4.5 million students! Closed captions can help clarify video content and boost understanding if technical terms are used in the video, sound quality is poor, speakers in the video have accents, or if the environment around the learner is too noisy to listen. Automatic closed captions are helpful in scenarios where the teacher (or viewer) is not the owner of the video file and cannot provide accurate, updated closed captions, but needs captioning as an option. Though automatic closed captions are not perfect, they are a helpful option.

Essentially, closed captions provide another means for viewers to understand video other than relying on the video's audio alone. There are many ways to provide closed captions for videos in educational contexts, whether the video has been created by the teacher or borrowed from another source.