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
Definitions
What's a Chapter?
A chapter is a time-coded marker you can add to a video's timeline that allows users to jump easily to sections of interest.
Here are the basics about Kaltura chapters:
- When chapters are present, an icon will display in the upper left corner of the video player for viewers when they mouse over the video.
- Clicking the icon reveals all chapters for the video.
- Clicking any of the chapter markers will make the video jump to that spot.
- Chapters have a title, description, thumbnail, and tags.
- The data you add to it is searchable within the chapter menu.
- 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. In this example I didn't create any thumbnails manually, so the chapter's title and description go on top of the thumbnail automatically grabbed at the timecode of the chapter mark. You can see how if you wanted to add a lengthier description it might be difficult to read it on top of a thumbnail with text on it as well.
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 the information.
Tips for Creating Effective Chapter Markers
- Avoid creating chapter thumbnails that have text on them. If you upload a chapter thumbnail that has text on it, the chapter information that you add will end up on top of it, making it difficult to read. You may want to upload a simple colored background if the default chapter thumbnail has text on 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.
- Keep it short. Long titles and descriptions may get cut off.
Steps to Take
Chapters can be added in Canvas or MediaSpace. Follow steps 1 and 2 based on where you intend to add chapters.
| In Canvas | In MediaSpace |
|---|---|
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- Locate the video to which you want to add chapters and click the pencil icon in its row.
- Click on the Timeline tab below the video preview.
- 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.)
- 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.")
- Fill in the fields that populate below the timeline.
The Chapter Thumbnail section 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.
The Time and Tags section 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. (It can be tricky to get it exactly where you want it by playing the video or dragging the scrubber on the timeline.) You can use the up and down arrows within the field to increase or decrease the timecode by 100 milliseconds.
- The large text box allows you to enter search tags. When chapters display in the player, viewers have the option to search, so adding search tags may facilitate your students' ability to find relevant content.
The Chapter Information block allows you to add a title and description for the chapter marker.
- The Chapter Title will be the first line of text that displays when students open the chapter menu in the player.
- The Chapter Description displays a few lines of text after the chapter title in the chapter menu in the player.
- Use the bookmark icon to add additional chapters as desired.
- When you're done entering your chapter settings, click Save in the block in the lower right corner of the page.