Real-time captioning and transcripts improve the learning experience in the classroom by directly increasing access to, and comprehensibility of, learning materials for all students. The Ai-Live platform delivers live speech-to-text content to any web-enabled device, accessible by students in real-time during the lesson. Transcripts are saved and available as a record of the lesson content and are a valuable reinforcement aid.
The effectiveness of live captions has been independently evaluated by the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education which found that the technology increases student and teacher engagement in learning. This impact is most profound for learners who are impacted by ASD, hearing impairment, auditory processing disorders and learning difficulties.Live captions delivering access to lesson content is particularly beneficial to students impacted by ASD. It provides consistency of message delivery and a single point of focus for the student leading to less distraction, reduced anxiety and improved attention. People with autism often have audio processing issues. This impacts perception and understanding of language and communication. There have been a number of studies indicating that students with ASD have difficulty processing and responding to auditory information. Problems occur when a person with ASD hears the sounds of speech but does not perceive the meaning of these sounds.
Experts in this field recommend approaches where people with autism receive the information visually. By reading what it is the teacher is saying, in a simplified form, the students can focus on the content that matters, thus improving confidence and participation. Only key content is delivered in short sentences. Figurative language and metaphors are removed and the key concepts are delivered in real time. This reduces the student's anxiety level and improves confidence, focus and attention raising engagement and understanding in class.
Our captioners are specifically trained to caption for students with ASD using a set of guidelines delivering accurate simplified text of what the teacher has said, directly to the student's iPad or tablet, or smart-board within seconds.
Ai-Live in Simple Text has been designed in partnership with ASD experts. There is ongoing evaluation of the impact of the technology by Nesta and the University of Melbourne. Ai-Media have established a learning circle of practitioners engaged in the programme to inform and evolve the technology.
We invite you to try out Ai-Live Simple Text in your classroom!
