Overview

Chapters allow viewers to jump to different parts of a video based on descriptors that you provide. While not as pedagogically effective as breaking up long videos into shorter videos, chapters can highlight the organizational structure of your material and allow students to more easily find information. 

Any Kaltura user can add chapters to their media (instructors, students, staff, etc.), and chapters can be added in either Canvas or MediaSpace.  

Critical Concepts

What's a Chapter?

Click the magnifying glass to expose an entry's chapters. Clicking on a chapter will jump the playhead to that point in the video. Note that only some of the chapters for this example entry have descriptions.

A chapter is a time-coded marker you can add to a video's timeline that allows users to jump to sections of interest. In addition to providing an easy way to navigate, it can also provide an organizational schema for your material, which can aid learning.

Here are the basics about Kaltura chapters:

• When chapters are present, the video's timeline will be broken up into segments. If a user hovers their mouse over it, they'll see the chapter title.
• Users can see a list of the chapters and descriptions if they click the magnifying glass icon on the player.
• Clicking any of the chapter markers will make the video jump to that spot.
• Chapters have a title and, optionally, a description, thumbnail, and tags.
• The data you add to it is searchable when a user clicks the magnifying glass icon.
• If you record a video with Kaltura Capture and run a PowerPoint presentation, it will automatically generate a chapter marker whenever you advance the slides.

Check out this MediaSpace overview video that uses chapters if you want to see what chapters look like.

Things to Keep in Mind

• You must be an owner or a co-editor in order to add chapters. That is, you have to be able to click the pencil icon on an entry in "My Media." You can't do that if you're a co-viewer or a co-publisher.
• Consider editing your chapters if you recorded a PowerPoint presentation with Kaltura Capture. As mentioned earlier, Kaltura Capture will generate chapters automatically if you record a PowerPoint presentation. The information it pulls from your slides may end up looking a little wonky, though, so it's worth reviewing it.
• You can use PowerPoint to make chapter thumbnails pretty quickly. A thumbnail is just an image, and you can export PowerPoint slides as images. Create a widescreen presentation and design a slide that can be the background image behind your title/description.

Steps to Take

Chapters can be added in Canvas or MediaSpace. Follow steps 1 and 2 based on where you intend to add chapters.

4. Click on the Timeline tab below the video preview.
5. Use either the scrubber within the media player or click within the timeline at the bottom of the page to find the location within the video where you'd like to add a chapter marker. (You may want to play the video and pause it to find the right spot.)
6. Click the bookmark icon on the left side of the timeline. (If you hover your mouse over it a small dialogue box will appear displaying the text "Create a new Chapter.")

7. Fill in the fields that populate below the timeline.

Descriptions of the Chapter Thumbnail, Time and Tags, and Chapter Information sections in Kaltura's editor

	Chapter Thumbnail allows you to select or upload an image of what you'd like to appear behind the title and description of the chapter. Auto will choose the frame that's present in the video at the chapter's timecode. Upload allows you to upload your own image file.
	Time and Tags allows you to fine-tune the timecode of a chapter marker and add keywords that facilitate searches through the chapters. Use the timecode field to type in the exact timecode where you want the chapter marker to be. You can also use the up and down arrows to adjust it by 100 milliseconds. The format is HH:MM:SS.MMM (hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds). The large text box allows you to enter search tags, which can help students find content more easily when chapters are displayed in the player.
	Chapter Information lets you add a title and description for the chapter marker. Chapter Title is the first line of text students see when opening the chapter menu. Chapter Description displays just below the title in the menu, offering a short summary of the chapter.