Video Content

Alignment

Quality Matters

• 4.1 C The instructional materials contribute to the achievement of the stated course- and module/unit-level learning objectives or competencies, and their relationship with learning objectives or competencies is clearly stated. 
• 4.2 C Instructional materials are integrated within the context of each lesson, and their intended use is clear. 
• 4.4 C The instructional materials have sufficient breadth, depth, and currency. 
• 4.6 C The course content strives to reflect a culturally diverse perspective that is free from bias. 
• 4.7 C The course is free of adult content and avoids unnecessary advertisements.
• 8.4 C The course provides alternative means of access to multimedia content in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners. 
• 8.5 T Course multimedia facilitates ease of use.

WCAG

• WCAG 2.0 1.2 Time-based Media

1. Video content is up-to-date, engaging and supports the lesson. (4.1C, 4.2C, and 4.4C, 8.5T)
2. Video content is appropriate for the students.(4.6C and 4.7C)
3. The quality of the video facilitates learning without distractions. (8.5T)
4. The information provided in the video is accessible. (8.4C, 8.5T, and WCAG Guidelines 1.2 A and AA)
5. Video content does not violate copyright regulations. (US Copyright)
6. Original videos have company logos, proper attributions, and licenses, if applicable. (US Copyright)
7. Video is embedded in the lesson and is responsive. (8.5T)

Requirement 1

Video content is up-to-date, engaging, and supports the lesson:

1. Video content matches the lesson instructions and is not outdated.
   1. If the lesson needs to include a video that does not match the lesson or includes outdated information, include an instruction in the lesson explaining the intention of the use.
2. If using external video resources, select newer videos over older videos, even if the older ones teach the content better. (For example, avoid a video presenting the information in the 1990s style.)
   1. When there is no newer video, avoid the video at all and opt for other methods to present the content.
3. Include instructions explaining the intended use of the video in the lesson script or in the lesson if possible. This will help the team to find an alternative when the video becomes unavailable or breaks.
   1. It can be a short explanation such as “Use the following video to learn XXX.”

Requirement 2

Video content is appropriate for the students:

1. Video content is free from bias, adult content and any other elements that are inappropriate in the educational setting.
2. If using external video resources, select the video free from unnecessary advertisement.
   1. Avoid a video that contains a portion enticing the viewers into purchasing, conducting, or doing anything that Michigan Virtual does not promote or endorse. If you must use the video,
      1. Trim the video if necessary using the methods allowed, and
      2. Include a direction to ignore the enticement or include a statement stating Michigan Virtual does not endorse the promoted content in the video.

Requirement 3

The quality of the video facilitates learning without distractions:

1. The visual and audio portions of the videos are of good quality.
2. Video length is appropriate for the targeted audience. Use allowed tools to trim the video if lengthy. Ideally, the video is
   1. Shorter than six (6) minutes for Student Learning Services
   2. Shorter than fifteen (15) minutes for Professional Learning Services[1]
3. If using external video resources, carefully evaluate the availability of the video. Some YouTube video creators disable viewing of their videos in the embedded format. Some videos may become unavailable without notice.

Note: QM references two studies in the article Video Length in Online Courses: What the Research Says.

Requirement 4

The information provided in the video is accessible:

1. All videos must have captions available if there are synchronized audio tracks in them (i.e., the narration or dialog audio portion of the video). The caption must be accurate. If using external resources, select the ones with accurate captions.
   1. Remediate for inaccurate captions by one of these methods:
      1. Edit the caption file.
      2. Create an accurate audio transcript to attach to the video.
      3. Caption service is available for videos owned by Michigan Virtual or provided by their partners (i.e. we have access to the video file, the video storage location, and the ability to add a caption file to the video file). Contact your project manager.
2. All visual information in the video that is “important” to understanding the content pertaining to the lesson’s intention is accessible.
   1. If the “important” information is not included in the original audio track, do either of these:
      1. Add audio description (additional voice narration) that covers the portion of the video, or
      2. Create a full text-based video transcript. See the “Video Transcript” section of the Style Guide for more details.
3. For language courses, the project team should determine the appropriateness of providing captions and transcripts, as well as strategies to make video content accessible.

Requirement 5

Video content does not violate copyright regulations:

1. Video content should not contain copyrighted materials unless we have permission or license to use the material.
   1. If using external materials, avoid the videos that contain copyrighted materials.
2. If using a video series from an external source such as a YouTube channel, the use must be justifiable, and the videos should not be the heart of the lesson unless those videos have an appropriate license. Consult your design manager and consider the case noted in “Note” below. [1]

Note:

[1] We have paid a YouTube channel for our use in our high-enrollment courses in the past, even though the videos were used as a supplemental resource in the lessons.

Requirement 6

Original videos have company logos, proper attributions, and licenses, if applicable.

• Mark videos developed by IDs or SMEs clearly with the Michigan Virtual logo or with the logo a client specifies for easy identification and reuse.
• If the videos use external materials, they must include proper attributions.
• Videos must have an appropriate license.
  • If Michigan Virtual owns it, it is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND. This is mostly for Student Learning Services’ videos.
  • For PLS videos, discuss the licensing options with the client.
• For the order of the logo, attributions, and license, follow this order[1]:
  • Video content
  • Logo
  • Attribution
  • License
  • (Example)

Note: This aligns with our marketing department’s style.

Requirement 7

Video is embedded in the lesson and is responsive:

1. Embeddable videos must be embedded in the lesson and must be responsive.
2. Videos authored or owned by us can be uploaded to Michigan Virtual YuJa. Contact your project manager.
3. The users can control the audio volume, expand the video frame, and can enable/disable and adjust closed captions.

Note: Videos built in Canva should not be embedded from the Canva link, they should be uploaded to YuJa.

SLS Note: YouTube content should be embedded using the YouTube block in CourseArc. See the Video Blocks in CourseArc slides for more information.

PLS Note: All videos should be “hosted” in Yuja in their appropriate folder (including YouTube videos). See the Yuja Training slides for more information. Yuja Parent Folder for PLS

• Style Guide: SLS Audience
• Style Guide: Copyright
• Style Guide: Closed Captions
• Style Guide: File Naming Conventions
• Canva End of Video Template
• How-To: Video Blocks in CourseArc
• Yuja – iPD Training Slides
• Yuja Parent Folder for PLS Videos