woman working on her academic studies
September 1, 2021

Academic Transcription and Increasing Accessibility

There are some simple steps you can take to increase the accessibility of your educational videos. Doing so not only makes good business sense but ensures that as many people as possible have the chance to access learning material in the way that suits them best.

Find out why academic transcription services are important for increasing accessibility.

Transcriptions Help Hearing Impaired Students

Academic transcriptions are essential for making information accessible to students who are hearing impaired. With access to academic transcriptions, students who are hearing impaired don’t have to worry about missing what was said during a lesson. Professional services provide transcriptions that are extremely detailed and accurate so students don’t miss anything if they rely fully on the transcriptions alone. In addition to including any spoken words from the lesson, transcriptions may also have time stamps and differentiate speakers to help students who are hearing impaired follow along.

It Makes it Easier to Take Notes

Note-taking is important for many students to help them learn and study. However, it can be easy for students to be so focused on note-taking, that they fall behind during lessons. This can cause them to miss vital information that they won’t be able to find later. With academic transcriptions, students know they’ll have access to a text version of the lesson to go through again later. Students can take notes on the class’s transcriptions, making it easier to pay attention while class is in session.

Transcriptions Can Help Language Barriers

Students who are hearing impaired or have other disabilities that can make it difficult to learn through audio alone aren’t the only ones who can benefit from academic transcriptions. Students whose native language isn’t English can also benefit from having transcriptions made available to them. Transcriptions allow ESL students to read the lesson at their own pace and translate words they don’t understand.

Transcriptions are Accessible Outside of Lessons

If a lesson isn’t recorded, students who have to miss lessons for any reason are at a disadvantage. While missing one lesson may cause a student to struggle, those who are out frequently, such as those with medical and family emergencies, can have significant problems keeping up. Fortunately, transcriptions are accessible at any time, so absent students don’t fall behind. Students get all the information from the lesson and can review it when they’re able.

Help Make Education More Accessible Today!

To improve accessibility by using transcripts, you need reliable transcription services that ensure accuracy. With Focus Forward transcription, you can choose from automated transcriptions or human transcriptions that provide accurate transcriptions for your lessons. These services can be used to provide transcriptions for lectures, interviews, group discussions, and more.

Contact Focus Forward today to learn more about how our ADA-compliant transcription services can help with accessibility.