In compliance with federal accessibility requirements and the Auburn University Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Policy, Alabama Extension will caption all videos intended for the public.

Per the AU Office of Accessibility, videos intended solely for internal use by employees are not required to be captioned initially. However, if an employee is granted an accessibility accommodation, all internal videos will be captioned for that employee’s needs.

Captioning Guidelines

• To assure reasonable captioning accuracy, all Extension video recordings will be captioned using human level transcription provided by an AU-approved captioning vendor such as Rev. (The rate as of September 2018 is $1 per produced minute.)
• Live video events, such as webinars, may be captioned using computer level transcription.
• Communications and Marketing will pay captioning fees for all videos of three (3) minutes or less.
• The program unit creating the video is responsible for paying captioning fees for all videos longer than three (3) minutes that are hosted on YouTube. For videos hosted on other platforms (for example, on Panopto), the program unit creating the video is responsible for paying all captioning fees regardless of the length of the video. Captioning fees are charged at the going rate for AU’s approved vendor.

Platform Guidelines

Alabama Extension’s portfolio of video platforms consists of YouTube, Zoom, Panopto, and Canvas Catalog. Social media services such as Facebook may also be used. Future platforms may be added to keep pace with emerging technologies or to meet specific needs following evaluation and approval by Communications and Marketing and Information Technology.

• YouTube is Alabama Extension’s primary outlet for all video intended for direct access by the public.
  • Alabama Extension will maintain a single YouTube channel for video intended for the public. Videos currently on other Alabama Extension YouTube channels will be combined into the central channel.
  •  Communications and Marketing is charged with managing the Alabama Extension YouTube channel. This responsibility includes handling captioning requests from Extension programs and counties and uploading videos to the Alabama Extension YouTube channel.
  • Playlists will be created to support all current YouTube channels. Examples include
    • Livestock and Forage
    • IPM
    • County-specific channels
• Zoom is used for live video collaborative events (i.e., videoconferencing and webinars).
  • Zoom event recordings intended for the public will be exported from Zoom (in the .MP4 file format) and routed through Communications and Marketing for captioning and uploading to YouTube.
  • Zoom event recordings intended for internal use will be imported into Panopto by Information Technology for hosting and, if needed, captioning.
  • The event host or program unit will be responsible for captioning costs.
• Panopto is primarily used for live streaming, capturing, and hosting events intended for internal use by Alabama Extension employees behind a login.
  • Information Technology is charged with management of longer format videos on the Panopto platform. These are intended for internal use and require a password, invitation, or other protective measures.
  • The event host or program will be responsible for captioning costs.
• Canvas Catalog is used for online courses intended for public audiences.
  • Captioning will be coordinated by Communications and Marketing as a component of course production.
  • The program unit will be responsible for captioning costs.
• Captioning of videos posted to social media platforms is the responsibility of the individual or program unit that posts the video. Communications and Marketing and Information Technology will provide guidance as needed.