Especially after the pandemic, online learning became a big part of most schools, as it made it possible for students to access learning resources from home without having to attend physical classes. Even now, students still enjoy the conveniences of supplementing their learning with online courses from platforms such as Moodle.
With numerous people offering online learning videos. Standing out in the industry can be difficult. Fortunately, there are ways to increase the effectiveness of your videos and attract more willing learners.
In this post, we’ll look at one such idea: Adding subtitles to your Moodle videos.
What is Moodle?
Moodle is a free, open-source LMS (learning management system) that has been a front-runner in providing access to online education. It facilitates blended learning, flipped classroom, distance education and an array of other remote-learning features such as:
- Modern, user-friendly interface
- Straightforward file management
- Easy tracking of assignments
- Automatic notifications
- All-in-one calendar
- Intuitive text editor
- Collaborative tools
Moodle is a favorite among educators as well because of its top-notch administrative features, including:
- Customizable site design
- Bulk course creation and backup
- Secure authentication
- Detailed activity logs
- Easy integrations for plugins and other apps
- Multilingual options
Therefore, with Moodle, educators are already allowed to access students from all over the globe. However, this may make educators overlook their videos. Education videos also need to be accessible to students in as many languages as possible, regardless of their physical abilities. So, you need to add subtitles and captions.
What are Subtitles and Captions?
Subtitles are lines of text that show the audience what is being said by the people in the video. If you have ever watched a foreign language film, then you have seen them at the top or bottom of the screen translating what is being said. They are usually used interchangeably with captions, but they are a little different.
Captions may appear in films, but even in ones recorded in a language, you understand. This is because captions are for people who may understand the language being spoken, but cannot perceive the audio used in the video.
A unique characteristic of captions is that they don’t only interpret spoken words and conversations, but also speakers, background noises and even emotions. All these are added because captions are meant to make the audience experience the video in the same way as someone who perceives the audio perfectly.
Although the two are intended for different things, there is no rule against using either to suit an individual’s unique needs! Therefore, people can choose to watch subtitles on videos recorded in languages they understand.
With education videos, captions and subtitles play many crucial roles beyond preference. Here is why you should prioritize adding them to your Moodle video content.
What Are the Benefits of Adding Subtitles to Moodle Courses?
Due to all the competition faced by online educators, working smart to stand out is the best move. You only need to change something impactful; something that will bear several advantages for your students. Here is why subtitles and captions are the secret ingredients you are looking for:
Inclusivity for Learners who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Everyone should have access to resources, making this the most important reason to consider adding captions to your videos. Many students with hearing difficulties often struggle to find resources they can use. However, this should not be the case.
The good thing is, that it is never too late to make your course accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, nor is it difficult. With the right software, it’s also easy. It’s a win-win situation.
Access an International Audience
With more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world, it can often feel like a hopeless dream to get our ideas and knowledge out to everyone. But the world is massive. Billions of people have access to the internet and limiting yourself to people who speak your language is a grave mistake.
The best way to gain access to more people all over the world is to overcome language barriers by the use of subtitles. Again with the right software, speaking to people who would normally not understand you is made possible. If the quality of your work is good, then going global could elevate your relevance, and revenue, to unprecedented heights.
Subtitles Enhance Students’ Focus and Retention
Listening can be difficult. It requires simultaneous concentration and processing. The best way to understand this is to imagine a parent trying to boost their CV by taking an online course. They mishear a word and then take a few seconds to decipher what it could mean in the context of the video. They finally realize what the word means, but then the video has moved forward several seconds and they have to rewind, thus wasting precious time.
Then, imagine the same parent fully concentrating on their video, and then noticing something distracting. They could either be distracted by something on the video, or something about their children in the next room. The cycle then repeats itself throughout the video.
Adding subtitles or captions will solve this issue. The student will be using two powerful senses to perceive what is happening in the video: hearing and sight. This multi-sensory approach is highly engaging and has the added effect of helping learners avoid distractions.
Compensation for Poor Audio Quality
The internet is a great tool, but it can also be unreliable. Anything can happen to connectivity when a student is watching a video. Subtitles are the perfect safety net in such cases unless they too are affected.
Often, it isn’t just transmission that can affect audio, maybe the student has to watch a video in a noisy place. Other times that noisy place is the only one the student can watch the video in. Captions and subtitles help students catch up on their classes regardless of their environment.
Subtitles and captions also help when the speaker’s voice is too low or has an accent that is too heavy or unfamiliar. They are the perfect backup for poor audio.
Transform your audio and
video to text and subtitles for your online classes
- High accurate, on demand service
- Competitive pricing with the fastest turnaround using AI
- Upload, search edit and export subtitles with ease.
How to Add Subtitles with Amberscript
Subtitles and captions have countless benefits for educators and students alike, for sure. But how do you get a piece of that cake on Moodle?
Amberscript is the most efficient and easy-to-use captioning and subtitling software for LMS. Subtitling may seem like tedious work, and it can truly be disastrous if done poorly. But with Amberscript, this is all you need to do:
1. Record Your Class
Record your course content as you normally would. Making sure the audio quality is impeccable, to begin with, goes a long way. Speak as clearly as you can.
It also helps to use professional-grade equipment. These will allow you to get the best result.
2. Upload Video to Amberscript
Upload your video or videos to Amberscript. The speech recognition engine will generate the first draft for subtitles of your video. You will then be allowed to edit these according to your preference.
3. Choose Automatic or Human-Made Subtitles
In the next step, you can choose to either add the subtitles manually or automatically.
You may want to add subtitles manually to your video to have a greater sense of control over the outcome and even add a personalized touch to it. On Amberscript, there are features top help with syncing the subtitles or captions with sound so you do not have to struggle with that. Regardless of what option you choose, Amberscript will make it a pleasant experience.
4. Upload File to Moodle
In the next and final step, you can choose to either add the subtitles manually or automatically.
You may want to add subtitles manually to your video to have a greater sense of control over the outcome and even add a personalized touch to it.
About Amberscript
On Amberscript, there are features top help with syncing the subtitles or captions with sound so you do not have to struggle at any point of the process. Regardless of what option you choose, Amberscript will make adding captions and subtitles a pleasant experience. Your students will love it too.