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Brightspace Tip #334: New VoiceThread Features

VoiceThread logo

VoiceThread is a web 2.0 tool that allows you to humanize interactions in an online environment. Instructors and students can share a wide variety of media (images, PDFs, slides, video, and more) and share text, audio, and video comments on that media quickly and easily. VoiceThread transforms stale, text-based discussions by infusing your content and conversations with human presence, just as if students were all sitting in the classroom together, but without scheduling a specific time to meet.

There are two new features available in VoiceThread assignments! Read on for more information about the new features that were recently introduced.

Prerequisites

If your course has a number of VoiceThread assignments, you might want to ensure that students complete those assignments in order. You can already set open and close dates, but this isn't always the best option, especially for self-paced courses. Now you can ensure that a previous assignment was completed before a student can even view the next one. It's a great way to keep students on the right track even if you have multiple assignments open at once.

Just click the "Select a prior assignment" button on the last page of the setup process and choose the assignment(s) students must complete first.

An example of the "Select a prior assignment" button in the Assignment Builder
The "Select a prior assignment" button in the Assignment Builder

Reconnecting Assignments

Have you ever built an assignment in your course and then wished you could re-link it in a different place? You're in luck! There is a new feature that empowers you to re-link an assignment so you aren't stuck with that one-time setup.

When you go into the Assignment Builder, you'll have a 4th option labeled "Reconnect Previous Assignment". When you select this option, you'll see a list of all assignments you've already built in this course, and you can choose the one you want to use. This will move the assignment from the old link in your course to the new location. The old link will no longer take students to this assignment.

An example of the "Reconnect Previous Assignment" option in the Assignment Builder
The "Reconnect Previous Assignment" option in the Assignment Builder

Want more information?

Other recently introduced VoiceThread features
VoiceThread Instructor Support
Add VoiceThread to your Course
How to use new VoiceThread assignments
Submitting new VoiceThread assignments – Students
VoiceThread FAQ

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Note: Are you doing something innovative in Brightspace or perhaps you've discovered a handy tip? Share how you are using Brightspace in your teaching and learning in The Orange Room.

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