CyberU offers auto-generated English closed captioning (CC) for all courses published on our platform. As an instructor you may choose to improve these captions by editing the auto-generated files. To replace auto-generated CC files with ones you've already corrected, please view the section on uploading custom CC files.
Downloading the Auto-Generated Files
Because CC files are only generated for published courses, please first ensure that your course is in Published status on CyberU by navigating to your Teaching tab.
Once you have verified your course is published, you may reach out to feedback@cyberu.com to request your CC files. In your email, please include the following information:
- Your instructor name as it appears on CyberU
- The title of the course(s) for which you'd like to request CC files
CyberU will reply to your request within 2 business days. A WebVTT file will be created for each individual video lesson in your course.
Note: CyberU only supports subtitles in the WebVTT (.vtt) format. No other formats will be accepted.
Once you've received the CC files, you may choose to either edit the files in a simple text editor or elect to use a specific subtitle editing program. The next sections detail the method, pros and cons of using each technique, respectively.
Editing Closed Captioning Files
Dos and Don'ts
When editing closed captioning files:
- Don't change the auto-generated file name. If the file name is changed, we will not be able to match the lesson to the course.
- Do pay attention to the proper formatting of a WebVTT file. WebVTT files have a very specific structure that needs to be followed, or the caption will not show up correctly.
- Don't confuse the WebVTT format style with other subtitle formats, such as SRT. CyberU only supports .vtt files.
WebVTT SRT File extension .vtt .srt Timecode 0:00:00.000 --> 0:00:01.000 0:00:00,000 --> 0:00:01,000 - Do take caution when editing the timing of the caption. Offsetting the timing of the text will cause the audio and caption to be mismatched. Unless you are an advanced editor, we recommend using a closed captioning editor to adjust the timing of your captions.
- Do pay special attention to correcting specialty words, such as foreign words, technical terms and special character abbreviations, as the automated speech-to-text processor is most inaccurate when transcribing those terms. Results for general spoken vernacular are fairly accurate.
- Do check your spelling and grammar. Providing subtitles of the highest quality is tantamount to a good learner experience. Take pride in your work!
Using a Text Editor
Editing CC files in a text editor, such as Microsoft Word or Sublime Text, is the quickest way to make simple changes or correct errors. Using a text editor is also great if you don't have your video immediately available, but know the corrections you want to make. However, there are some limitations, so if you anticipate the need to make extensive changes to your CC files, we recommend editing the files using a subtitle editing program.
In your text editor of choice, simply delete the text and replace it with the corrected caption. Remember to save your changes!
Using a Subtitle Editor
There are many free and paid subtitle editors available, with varying levels of feature sets. Below are a few free tools available:
- Closed Caption Creator (web-based)
- Aegisub (download required)
The benefit of using a subtitle editor tool is being able to use a graphical interface to drag and drop your caption timings. These tools generally require you to load your video into the interface in order to play it back while you are timing your captions.
Uploading Corrected Files
When you are finished editing your captions, you may email feedback@cyberu.com with the corrected files attached in the email. Include the title of your course in the email. If you have made corrections to multiple courses, be sure to zip and attach the files for each course separately.
You may also elect to upload the files to a cloud storage service, where our team can then download them and attach them to your course.
Note: The original file name must be retained in order for us to attach your corrected files to the right lesson. If the file name is changed, the CC file will not match up with the lesson.
If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email us at any time.