Product Updates
Get the latest platform updates, features, and announcements—all in one place.
-
September 12, 2025
How Video Chaptering Supports Learning in Higher Education
Video chaptering helps break down content into manageable segments, making it easier for students to find, revisit, and absorb the information they need most.Video Chaptering Benefits Students and Instructors
Research shows that structured video content improves learning outcomes. One study, published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education found that shorter, well-organized videos increased student engagement by nearly 25 percent and improved final exam scores by nine percent. Video chapters provide:- More efficient navigation: Students can quickly jump to specific sections without re-watching an entire lecture. This saves valuable study time and reduces frustration, particularly during exam preparation when students need to review specific topics quickly.
- Improved retention: Chapters encourage focused, bite-sized learning that supports long-term understanding. The cognitive science principle of “chunking” shows that breaking information into smaller units helps move knowledge more effectively from short-term to long-term memory.
- Accessibility and flexibility: Learners balancing coursework, jobs, or family responsibilities can study more effectively. Students can create personalized study schedules by focusing on chapters that match their availability, whether that’s a 5-minute review or a 30-minute deep dive.
- Clearer teaching structure: Instructors can highlight key themes and guide students through complex material at the right pace. Chapters also enable instructors to track which sections students revisit most frequently, providing valuable insights into areas that may need additional explanation or reinforcement.
Accessibility Impacts of Video Chaptering
Beyond improving general learning outcomes, video chaptering makes educational content accessible to students with diverse needs. Chaptered videos provide navigation support for screen readers, allowing visually impaired learners to understand content organization and move efficiently between sections. Students with cognitive differences, such as ADHD or processing disorders, benefit from the reduced cognitive load that chaptering provides. Rather than processing lengthy lectures entirely, these learners can focus on individual concepts without becoming overwhelmed. The structured format also supports neurodivergent learners who prefer organized, predictable content. When combined with captions, it helps deaf and hard-of-hearing students quickly locate specific topics. Students with motor limitations can navigate directly to relevant sections instead of using fine controls to scrub through long videos. By implementing video chaptering, institutions not only help ensure compliance with accessibility standards like WCAG and Section 508, but they also deliver measurable improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes for all. -
May 2, 2025
5 Ways to Bridge the Student Technology Expectation Gap
The report outlines six aspects of the student experience in higher education, including satisfaction with technology-related services and supports; modality preferences; hybrid learning experiences; generative AI in the classroom; workforce preparation; and accessibility and mental health. Key technology service and support findings include:- While most students (69%) said they were satisfied with tech-related services and support, 72% rated their institution’s use of technology for enhancing education as “average.”
- Students who see their institution as cutting-edge in technology adoption are more satisfied (85%) with tech services and support than those who view their institution as average (68%) or behind the times (34%).
- Students at institutions perceived as technology leaders feel more career-ready and confident in the value of their education.
Bridging the Technology Gap
To help bridge the gap between student expectations and delivery, institutions can: 1. Invest in Comprehensive Video Solutions: The report notes, “Video content (e.g., recorded lectures, instructional videos, multimedia resources) helps students grasp difficult concepts and provides flexibility in learning (i.e., students can learn asynchronously on their own time).” Institutions should adopt a Video Platform with tools that are easy to use by students and instructors. Encourage content creators to add interactive features like video quizzing, and show students how to use tools like in-video comments, video search, and more to improve learning and comprehension. 2. Prioritize Accessibility and Flexibility: “Technology helps personalize the learning experience and makes it more engaging (e.g., through the use of adaptive learning features, virtual tutoring, and interactive and individualized content and feedback),” the report states. Institutional leaders and instructors should help ensure content is accessible to all learners by using tools that offer automatic captioning, transcriptions, various alternative formats, and offline viewing options. 3. Streamline Technology: “Students want more seamless technology experiences,” the report says. Further, “ Course materials that are not well-adapted for online platforms result in confusing formats, submission errors, and grading issues (i.e., when rigid, automated grading is implemented).” Create a cohesive learning environment through tight LMS integration; reduce student frustration with single sign-on across systems, and work to maintain a consistent user experience across institutional platforms. In addition, conduct regular technology audits to identify redundant systems, outdated platforms, or disconnected tools that create friction in the student experience, and develop a strategic plan to consolidate or replace them with more integrated solutions. 4. Use Analytics to Make More Informed Decisions: Track how students interact with content to identify engagement patterns, analyze the relationship between engagement and academic achievement, and continuously improve the learning experience. 5. Invest in Technology Professional Development: The report indicates that students value instructors who effectively use technology in teaching. Help instructors use video technology effectively by offering training programs and support, and by creating technology champions who can mentor others and promote wider adoption. The report is clear: institutions that effectively use technology create better student experiences and outcomes. By adopting tools and solutions that are intuitive, accessible, and integrate with other technologies, institutions can bridge the technology gap and position themselves as leaders in educational innovation. Read the full report. -
April 11, 2025
5 Ways Video Feedback Enhances the Learning Experience
Video feedback on student assessments can help create more engaging, effective learning experiences in a variety of ways: 1. It combines visual and auditory feedback: Research shows that students absorb and retain information better when it comes through multiple sensory channels. In fact, combining visual elements with text is 70 percent more memorable than text alone. Video feedback allows instructors to use vocal inflection, facial expressions, and visual cues that don’t translate well in written comments.
2. Video feedback helps create a sense of connection: Video establishes an instructor’s presence when physical distance separates the instructor and learner. When students see and hear their instructor speak directly to them about their work, it creates a sense of personal attention that fosters engagement. This “social presence” has been linked to higher motivation, increased course satisfaction, and better learning outcomes.
3. Video feedback can save time: Contrary to what many educators initially think, video assessment can actually save time compared to traditional written feedback. Speaking naturally about a student’s work often allows instructors to convey more information in less time than typing detailed comments. For example, a two-minute video feedback recording can deliver the equivalent of several paragraphs of written feedback, complete with nuance, context, and personalization.
4. It helps build a culture of continuous improvement: Traditional grading often focuses on justifying a score, while video feedback naturally emphasizes growth and improvement. Feedback becomes a conversation where instructors can explain concepts, suggest approaches, and acknowledge areas they did well or that need improvement. Assessment offers a learning opportunity rather than simply the end of an assignment.
5. Video Makes Feedback More Accessible: For many learners, video feedback is a more accessible alternative to densely written feedback. Additionally, the ability to replay video feedback multiple times helps students process complex suggestions at their own pace, returning to challenging concepts for a better understanding.
By incorporating video assessment and feedback into existing learning management systems, institutions can create more effective feedback processes that better prepare students and professionals for success
-
April 2, 2025
The Power of Alternative Formats in Digital Learning
Learn about various alternative formats and how they benefit learners:Text-Based Alternatives
Source File, the original document with its native formatting, allows users with specific software tools to manipulate the content according to their needs, such as adjusting formatting, extracting text for use with assistive technologies, or converting to other formats. For students who use screen readers or require specialized navigation, having access to the source file enables the most comprehensive access to educational content.
PDF (Portable Document Format) is a standardized format that preserves layout across devices. It often includes built-in accessibility features like tags and reading order structures. Well-structured PDFs with proper tagging and optical character recognition (OCR) ensure that text is machine-readable, making them compatible with assistive technologies while maintaining the original document’s appearance.
Text File, a plain text version without complex formatting, delivers clean, simplified text that works well with screen readers and assistive technologies. This format removes formatting distractions for students with visual processing difficulties or those who prefer distraction-free reading.
Enhanced HTML, a web-optimized version with improved accessibility features, offers better navigation, responsive design, and compatibility with assistive technologies. This format maintains visual elements while ensuring screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation.
Audio and Visual Alternatives
Audio Podcast, or a spoken version of written content, transforms text into speech. This benefits auditory learners, students with visual impairments, and those with reading difficulties or learning English.
Immersive Reader enhances the reading experience with customizable text display. The reader combines a simplified visual presentation with text-to-speech capabilities. Features like syllable highlighting and grammar identification make it especially valuable for students with dyslexia or other reading challenges.
Gradient Reader provides text with color gradients to improve readability and applies color transitions to make it easier to track lines of text and maintain focus. This format helps students with attention difficulties, visual tracking issues, or dyslexia.
Specialized Format Options
Braille, a tactile format for blind and visually impaired users, renders content for reading through touch, essential for students who use braille as their primary reading method. Math Formats, specialized rendering of mathematical content, properly display equations and formulas in accessible ways. These are critical for STEM education, where complex notation might otherwise create barriers. Language Translations, which converts content into different languages, support international students and multilingual learners in accessing materials in their preferred language. EPUB, a digital book format with adjustable text flow, offers reflowable text, customizable font sizes, and compatibility with screen readers, making it ideal for digital textbooks and lengthy reading materials. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts image-based text into machine-readable format, enabling scanned documents and image-based PDFs to be accessible to screen readers and text-to-speech technologies.POUR Guidelines
Alternative formats address the core accessibility principles outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), known as the POUR principles:- Perceivable: Content becomes available through different sensory channels (vision, hearing, touch), ensuring information is presentable to users in ways they can perceive regardless of their abilities.
- Operable: Users can navigate and interact with content regardless of physical capabilities, with interfaces that can be operated by all.
- Understandable: Information is presented in ways that match different cognitive and language preferences, making content intuitive and simple for all learners.
- Robust: Content works reliably across different technologies and assistive devices, ensuring compatibility with current and future user agents.
Alternative Formats Benefit Students and Educators
Alternative formats benefit all students and instructors, regardless of whether they have accommodations. Alternative formats remove traditional learning barriers and allow students to independently access content that matches their needs and preferences. For instructors and staff, alternative formats reduce the time spent creating individual accommodations. Rather than retrofitting materials for specific student requests, instructors can provide one version that automatically converts to multiple formats. Learn more about alternative formats, or read some of our case studies where institutional leaders share their experiences with YuJa Panorama’s alternative formats. -
March 17, 2025
The Importance of Structural Remediation in PDF Accessibility
Their popularity stems from good reasons, as PDFs preserve formatting across different devices, maintain document integrity, support digital signatures, and offer robust security features. Despite their benefits, PDFs present significant accessibility challenges that many organizations are only beginning to address.The need for accessible PDFs extends beyond good practice — it’s a legal requirement.
While general web accessibility has improved in recent years, PDF accessibility presents unique challenges due to the complex nature of document structure and the prevalence of untagged documents in circulation. In fact, studies show that over 90 percent of PDFs opens in a new tab in circulation today are at least partially inaccessible, appearing as blank pages, garbled text, or incomprehensible code to those using assistive technologies. One of the key accessibility issues with PDFs is the lack of proper structure. PDF tags are metadata elements that define the structure of a document, making it navigable for assistive technologies. While an untagged PDF may contain all the necessary information, it’s nearly impossible to navigate effectively, resulting in a poor user experience and failure to meet accessibility compliance standards like WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 opens in a new tab . When a PDF lacks proper structure:- Screen readers cannot determine reading order or distinguish between headings, paragraphs, lists and tables
- Users cannot navigate between sections or find specific information
- Tables lose their structured format, making them unintelligible
- Images are meaningless without alternative descriptions
- Forms are unusable with keyboard navigation and are impossible for users with disabilities to fill out independently
The Core Challenge of PDF Accessibility
True PDF accessibility requires more than surface-level fixes. Structural remediation opens in a new tab addresses the fundamental organization of a document to ensure it can be properly interpreted by assistive technologies. Key elements include document tagging, logical reading order, proper table structure, alternative text for images, language identification, and accessible form fields. Making PDFs accessible has traditionally been a labor-intensive process with limitations like heavy volumes of documents, limited staff expertise and time to address issues, and an inability to keep up with accessibility as new PDFs are created. Today, tools like the YuJa Structural Remediation Max Module opens in a new tab help institutions overcome these challenges by automating the remediation process, enabling organizations to make their document libraries accessible while freeing up staff resources for other accessibility needs. The module can automatically detect and tag document structure, identify and correct reading order issues, generate descriptive alt text for images, structure tables, and convert scanned documents to accessible, tagged PDFs.Best Practices and Benefits of Making PDFs More Accessible
To address PDF accessibility, start with these best practices:- Create accessible documents from the start: Train content creators to build accessibility into documents from the outset
- Prioritize remediation efforts: Focus first on high-impact, frequently accessed documents
- Leverage technology: Use AI-powered tools to improve the remediation process
- Establish clear workflows: Create consistent processes for evaluating and improving document accessibility
Join the 1,000+ Organizations Deploying High-Impact Solutions
A collection of logos representing various organizations and institutions that use YuJa’s platform.