There aren’t many things that can make classes more accessible and conducive to study than live captions. After all, it provides students with quick access to the text version of a lecture, whether it’s in-person or live-streamed. As a result, they’re better able to follow the lessons or presentations, making it easier to consume any information imparted by the teacher than it would have been otherwise.
But if you’re still unconvinced, we’ve laid out a few more reasons why all schools should begin implementing live captioning in this article.
1. Improves learning comprehension
Having live captions as a visual aid can improve the students’ ability to retain information and participate fully in their respective classes. And this is an invaluable benefit, regardless of the learning environment. It addresses crucial moments where misunderstandings may occur that slow down the process of acquiring knowledge. Beyond that, the captions can be translated into many different languages in real-time, especially for students struggling with language barriers.
2. Enhances accessibility
Accessibility is vital in today’s digital world, and in education, it’s no exception. All students must have the same level of access to information, regardless of the restrictions brought about by disabilities like hearing loss. In this case, live captioning can make a considerable difference. If there’s no way for students who cannot hear to learn the lessons imparted by the teacher, then there’s little reason to attend the class. You will miss out on the opportunity to draw in more students, but it will also prevent the students themselves from learning for reasons beyond their control.
3. Instills confidence
Since captioning solutions enable students to understand their lessons effectively, they’ll be more confident to engage with the rest of the class. To put it another way, it provides the reinforcement they need so they can take in every word and allow them to absorb information on any subject matter more quickly. This effectively makes them feel more empowered during tutorials or lectures because it levels the playing field with the rest of the students and gives them the same level of accessibility to learning.
4. Offers transcripts
Since the process behind live captioning involves the creation of a record of all things said in real-time, you’ll be able to get an accurate transcript of the lecture’s content. These written records can then be given to students so they can do their homework and study for exams, helping them with their studies more effectively than if they had to take down the notes themselves.
Conclusion
For students who have conditions that prevent them from learning similarly to everyone else, live captioning can be helpful. Beyond making the learning process more accessible for those with autism, dyslexia, and other auditory processing and intellectual disabilities, it also offers support to those whose primary language may not be English or who are taking classes remotely. So for schools who have yet to implement live captioning, make sure that you do. It’s an excellent investment that will pay dividends in helping your teachers perform their duties and your students to learn more effectively.
