Coordinator Resources

All videos or livestreams produced or shared by the university that are intended for public viewing are required to have closed captioning per the IT Accessibility Policy. Computer-generated auto captions do not meet this standard.

Captions display a text version of the speech and nonspeech audio information within the media player to help individuals understand the content if listening is not an option for them.

Live captioning for events

University of Iowa commencement ceremonies are streamed online in real-time, requiring the rapid and accurate live coding of captions by a human operator.

Due to the rapid pace of speech, captioners utilize a specialized keyboard called a stenograph to enable phonetic typing and significantly increase their typing speed. However, this approach relies on digital shorthand and greatly benefits from prior preparation.

Ensuring caption accuracy for commencement

Commencement ceremonies encompass a significant amount of specialized language. While there might be a common vernacular shared across all commencements, the College of Medicine, for instance, may employ a distinct vocabulary compared with the College of Business. Terms such as personal names, building names, course titles, and notable accomplishments will vary according to each specific ceremony.

The most accurate captioning of these terms is achieved by providing as many of them as possible to the transcriptionist ahead of the event. This allows them to incorporate the terms into their digital shorthand system prior to the event.

To assist with this process, the Office of Strategic Communication must receive the following information from each college at least two weeks prior to the ceremony:

• Event program/order of events, including the complete list of speakers.
• Any drafts of prepared remarks, even if they consist of just keywords or outlines.

Important note:

We understand that not all speakers write out their remarks verbatim; many speak spontaneously and off the cuff. Transcriptionists are highly skilled at keeping up with such conversations. There is no expectation that any scripts provided will be strictly adhered to; changes or updates might occur. However, achieving the optimal speed and accuracy of closed captions necessitates proper preparation. Any information about the speaker is valuable, even if it's not directly related to their current speech (e.g., their online biography).