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VoiceThread is a cloud based, multi-media tool for asynchronous conversation, collaboration, and presentation. It is integrated with D2L Brightspace and can be used for discussions, interactive presentations, assignments, or portfolios with or without connecting to the grade book. Metro State’s VoiceThread license provides an account for all students, faculty, and staff.
Table of Contents:
Inside D2L Brightspace:
VoiceThread at Metro State is integrated with D2L Brightspace so you don’t need to create an account before using it in D2L Brightspace.
- For students, your instructor will provide a link to a VoiceThread presentation or activity within a class. Opening a VoiceThread assignment, presentation, or discussion in D2L will create your VoiceThread account and sign you in.
- For faculty, creating or opening an integrated VoiceThread topic in D2L will create your VoiceThread account and sign you in.
Outside D2L Brightspace:
- Students and employees can use this link to go directly to VoiceThread and sign in using our Microsoft accounts (StarID@minnstate.edu for staff and StarID@go.minnstate.edu for students).
- You may happen to search the web for "VoiceThread" or go to voicethread.com via some other means. The site may not know you are from Metro State. If you then select 'Sign in' and see a screen with several sign in options including 'Sign in with email' and 'Sign in via institution' proceed with the subsequent steps:
- First select "Sign in by Institution"
- Next enter "MetroState" in the search field and search then select "Metropolitan State University"
- Next select "Sign in"
- If you are already signed in to your Microsoft account, you will be taken directly to your VoiceThread home. It creates an account for you if you have never signed in before. If you are not signed in to your Microsoft account, you will be prompted to sign in and will then go to your VoiceThread home.
How to set up and use VoiceThread:
- In a Content module, select "Add Existing", and then select "VoiceThread".
- Create a non-graded VoiceThread activity by selecting Individual VoiceThread, Course View, or VT Home page. Individual VoiceThread, the most common choice, is the equivalent of just sharing your VoiceThread with students to view and comment on.
- Create a graded VoiceThread assignment by selecting Assignment Builder. Options are to require students to comment on, create, or watch a VoiceThread.
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Creating a VoiceThread assignment will add an item to the end of the grade book. If you select the points option during set up, it will be created with those points and when grading the assignment, you will enter points for each student. If you select percentage, it will create a grade item of 100 points which you can edit later and when grading the assignment you will enter their grade as a percentage. It is probably better to select points. One way to change the points: select "Grades" in the main course navigation, then select "Manage Grades," then scroll down and select the corresponding grade item, edit the points if desired, then select "Save and Close".
Editing a VoiceThread activity in D2L
To edit the activity name, dates, or points, or to edit the VoiceThread itself, select the VoiceThread link in the left sidebar, then select "Edit Activity".
To edit the VoiceThread itself, or to edit a VoiceThread assignment's settings, select the "i" in a circle assignment overview button, then select "Edit Assignment".
To edit the points one can edit the grade item as described above or one can select "Edit Activity," then "Add and Manage Grade Items," then change the points, then select "Save and Close".
VoiceThread links are set up automatically when a course is copied in D2L, even if the original course belongs to a different instructor. A new instance of the original VoiceThread is created, including any associated grade items. It works best if the entire course is copied. If an instructor wants to copy only part of the course including VoiceThread links, please get help or call 651-793-1240 as special care must be taken to ensure the links will work.
Activating and Checking VoiceThreads after a course copy
- First select one integrated VoiceThread link in the new D2L course to activate the connection. A message will be displayed indicating the course is being created and to wait fifieen minutes. Wait fifteen minutes before selecting any other VoiceThread links in the class. Failure to do so may result in those links not working.
- Check all VoiceThread links to make sure they were copied correctly and that any assignment details and settings are still correct.
- Delete any comments that were responses to student comments. The student comments should not be copied but faculty resplies will be.
- Listed below are the different kinds of VoiceThread links and special consideration that may apply to each:
- VoiceThread Home – should open the homepage of whoever selects it.
- Individual VoiceThread – should open a single VoiceThread. Check for copied comments that might have been course specific or a response to students or that otherwise need to be edited or deleted.
- Course View – should open a view showing all VoiceThreads currently in the course and allow the instructor or students to add VoiceThreads to share only with that class. In a new class, if there are no other VoiceThreads in the course, this view will be empty.
- VoiceThread assignments – 3 possibilities:
- Leave a comment or add a slide – rename if desired, check for copied instructor comments that might have been course specific or a response to students
- Submit a VoiceThread – no action should be needed as this requires students to submit a VoiceThread they have created, and no submissions are copied from the previous semester
- Watch a VoiceThread – rename if desired, check for copied instructor comments that might have been course specific or a response to students
- For all assignment types, check the gradebook to ensure points are correct and the item is set up as intended. If in doubt, please contact the service center.
The most important thing is to understand what the instructor expects. In some cases, a VoiceThread assignment merely means viewing a VoiceThread your instructor created, like watching a video or viewing a PowerPoint presentation. In others, you make be asked to view and leave comments. In some classes, instructors create assignments where you are expected to leave a required number of comments and then select a 'Submit' button. You might even be asked to create a VoiceThread of your own and submit it. Read any instructions provided and ask questions if unsure what is expected.
VoiceThread has provided detailed instructions for these slightly different scenarios, including videos and screenshots:
Viewing captions
VoiceThread audio and video comments made by Metro State users will be captioned automatically shortly after creation, typically in about 3 minutes. To make sure the captions are accurate and accessible to everyone, users should manually edit the automatically generated captions.
To view captions, select the “CC” button then select the desired caption language. If there is no audio content, the "CC" button my not be selectable.
Captions should now display automatically whenever audio content is playing.
Edit captions:
Edit captions on your central media and comments to make sure they are accurate and accessible to everyone. Automatically generated captions are typically ready to edit in about 3 minutes.
- To edit captions on a slide with audio or video as the central media, select the "CC" button in the lower right, then select "Edit Captions". (If "Edit Captions" is not present but "Add Caption File" is, the automatically generated captions may not be completed yet. Try leaving the VoiceThread then returning in a few minutes).
- To edit captions on a comment, select the “CC” button on the comment.
- Edit captions using the caption editor. You may need to scroll down to the end of the captions to access the "Save" button. After saving, select the "Close" button to return to the VoiceThread:
Additional resources:
- If users are told to sign in to D2L when they open a VoiceThread link, it probably was shared with a direct link instead of by following the instructions above. Or a student might have shared it, such as in a discussion post or as part of an assignment submission. This can be confusing because the link might work for some and not others depending on whether they are already signed in. To avoid this, faculty should always use the method above to add VoiceThread content and interactions to D2L. If a direct sharing link has already been posted and the link doesn't work, this can be addressed by signing in: