Case Study: McMaster University achieves greater accessibility and universal design for learning with Echo360

The Role of Academic Video in Supporting Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning

McMaster University in Ontario, Canada uses the Echo360 video platform to help meet accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The university’s challenge was to support students who need accommodations while also making course content more flexible and accessible for all learners through universal design for learning.

Echo360 implemented a cloud-based video solution with lecture capture, closed captioning, student notetaker integration, and newer tools like automatic speech recognition, transcripts, polling, and flipped-classroom features. McMaster reported strong impact: 40% of students chose courses because recorded lectures were available, 54% of lecture-video viewers used closed captions, 80% used captions more than half the time, and 85% watched from home, showing that Echo360 expanded access and engagement across the student body.

McMaster University

Geraldine Voros

Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences