Add and Edit Transcripts in EchoVideo


Table of Contents

About the auto-generated transcript feature of EchoVideo

EchoVideo, a lecture capture and streaming platform available at UMass Amherst, features an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) tool to generate transcripts and captions from audio recordings. By default, all media in EchoVideo added to an EchoVideo Course Section will be automatically transcribed and captioned. 

Transcripts are added to your media as interactive text, allowing students to read along, search for key terms, and jump to specific parts of the lecture. Captions can be shown or hidden by students, and they have control over the style and placement of the captions. Transcript and caption accuracy may vary depending on recording quality, speaker characteristics, and specialized vocabulary.

You can edit transcripts and captions to improve their accuracy and usability. For students requiring transcripts or captions to meet an accommodation should be first directed to  Disability Services for professional captioning support.

To get transcripts for existing recordings, you must Share (Publish), Unshare, and then re-Share the media within the course to trigger transcription.

Note: If a co-instructor or TA will be making edits to your transcripts for your content, you must Allow All Instructors and Teaching Assistants to Edit Course Media.

Transcript Standards

Transcripts help students find information, study, and engage with your content effectively. To ensure clarity and usefulness, please follow these guidelines:

Step 1: Review the transcript

After you have shared media to an EchoVideo Course Section, transcripts and captions will be generated. Processing time varies depending on media length and system demand. If the Edit Transcript page shows “No transcript available” for recently added media, please wait until the transcription is complete.

In a Course:

  1. Navigate to echo360.umass.edu and log in with your NetID and password.
  2. On the top of the page, select Courses.
  3. On the Courses page, select your course. The Class list page will open.
  4. Find the recording and click the playback icon.
  5. From the dropdown menu, select Edit Transcript to open the Transcript Editor and edit your ASR transcript.
  6. Note: If it shows “No transcript available,” please wait, your transcription is still processing.

In Your Library:

  1. Navigate to echo360.umass.edu and log in with your NetID and password.
  2. On the Library page, find the recording you would like to view or edit the transcript of.
  3. Click the blue ellipsis (...) button on the recording tile.
  4. Select More Actions > Edit Transcript to open the Transcript Editor.
  5. Note: If it shows “No transcript available,” please wait, your transcription is still processing.

Step 2: Edit the ASR transcript

Once the transcript is ready, review and edit it for accuracy. Accurate transcripts are essential, as some students rely solely on the text for learning. On the Transcript Editor page, click Edit Transcript (top right, blue button).

  1. Press the play button to listen to the recording. We recommend pausing while typing to make the editing process easier
  2. The transcript appears on the right and syncs with the audio.
  3. Click any text line to make corrections.
  4. Continue reviewing and editing the entire transcript as needed.
  5. When finished, click Save As New Version.
  6. Confirm by clicking Apply on the pop-up.

Step 3: Apply transcripts to closed captions

After editing and saving your transcript, you will need to apply the changes as  Closed Captions for students.

  1. On the Edit Transcript page, make any necessary edits and select Save As New Version.
  2. Click Apply To CC to enable captions for students to view.
  3. Note: If you re-edit the transcript later, you must click Apply To CC again to update the captions.