Creating more accessible learning experiences with Caption.Ed

At Edinburgh College, Assistive Technologist Anna Dawidowicz supports a diverse group of students receiving the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). Many of these students face challenges that make studying more complex, including hearing loss, memory difficulties, and issues with focus and note-taking.

Anna’s mission is simple: to ensure every student has the tools and confidence to learn independently. But for many, keeping up with lectures and processing information in real-time can feel overwhelming.

That’s where Caption.Ed comes in.

The challenge of following lessons in real time

For some students, lectures can feel like a race they can’t quite win. Trying to listen, take notes, and process information all at once often leads to stress and missed details.

“DSA students at Edinburgh College face common challenges such as memory issues, lack of focus, hearing loss, and physical disabilities,” Anna explains. “These barriers can make it difficult to follow lectures, take notes, and retain information.”

Anna needed a tool that would ease this pressure: something intuitive, accurate, and designed with accessibility in mind.

Creating accessible learning experiences

Caption.Ed quickly became an essential part of Anna’s toolkit for student support.

She loves that the clean layout and highly accurate captioning make it easy for students to follow along with both live and recorded content. During lessons, students can focus on listening while Caption.Ed records and transcribes everything automatically. It supports real-time understanding and accessibility, especially for those with hearing loss.

For students with hearing loss, Caption.Ed can also connect to Phonak devices (specialist hearing technology that transmits sound directly from the microphone to a student’s hearing aids). This integration enhances the learning experience by ensuring that spoken content remains accessible and easy to follow.

Students love Caption.Ed’s accuracy and advanced features

Anna’s students appreciate how flexible Caption.Ed is. A favourite feature is the ability to upload a PDF of the lesson presentation and follow along at their own pace, reviewing the transcript and audio side by side.

“This way of working minimises distress,” Anna explains. “Students don’t have to struggle between listening and taking notes. They can focus fully on understanding the content.”

Another highlight? Caption.Ed’s speaker identification feature. Students can see who’s speaking and even name the speakers themselves — something Anna says has been “welcomed with enthusiasm” because it adds structure and clarity to transcripts.

But the most loved feature of all? Accuracy.

“Students consistently highlight Caption.Ed’s accuracy as a key benefit,” Anna says. “They trust it.”

More confidence, less stress with Caption.Ed

Since introducing Caption.Ed, Anna has noticed a real difference in how her students learn. They’re more engaged in lessons, less anxious about missing information, and more confident reviewing material after class.

For Anna, it’s about giving students the freedom to learn in a way that works for them without barriers, frustration, or fatigue.

And with Caption.Ed by their side, they’re doing just that.