The newest version of Voicethread has significant updates that will benefit users at Haverford greatly. We transitioned to this new version over break and would like to share detailed information about these updates with any current users. Below are all of the detailed updates that Voicethread made regarding assignments and how both students and instructors will interact with them. If you have further questions about how these changes will affect your Voicethreads, please email hc-techlearn@haverford.edu.
Updates to Assignment Setup – For Instructors
- Content Organization: The assignment controls all VoiceThread content associated with it. Once you use a VoiceThread for an assignment, it will no longer be visible on your VT Home Page. The assignment is the only place instructors and students can see it.
- Workflow: Streamlined creation process for building a VoiceThread within the assignment setup process.
- Settings: Instructors can dictate the playback settings for all VoiceThreads when students are completing a “Create a VoiceThread” assignment type. Students cannot override these settings.
- Access: Instructors automatically have edit access to all student-created VoiceThreads for a “Create a VoiceThread” assignment type.
- Sharing: Instructors determine whether or not other students can see one another’s submissions. It’s no longer up to the student to remember to share when submitting.
- Peer Review: Student Gallery allows students to see all student VoiceThread submissions for a single assignment in a single collection, separated from the other assignments. No more need to use a second “Course View” link to have students view and comment on their peers’ submissions! Note: The current limitation is that students can’t comment on their own VoiceThreads in the Student Gallery, but that will be changing soon.
- Messaging: Customize your success messaging for students.
- Timed Release: Set start dates and due dates. Students will not be able to see your assignment outside of that time range. This allows you to create assignments well before you want students to see them.
- Assessment Style: Grade by percentage or pass/fail. (Point grading coming soon!)
- Student Review Decide whether or not students are allowed to see their own submission after they’ve submitted successfully.
- New Criteria: Require students to record a set number of comments on the “Create a VoiceThread” and “Commenting” assignment types.
- More New Criteria: “Watch” assignments tabulate watching of central media and comments, rather than just comments.
- Control: After students submit, they will not be permitted to make any alterations to their submission unless you’ve allowed them to resubmit.
Updates to Student Submission
- See a dynamic checklist of requirements for completing an assignment. Each time you complete a requirement, it will be checked off automatically.
- See a published due date, grading style, and submission status.
- Clearer messaging about whether an assignment is already submitted successfully.
- Visit the “Student Gallery” (if it has been enabled by the instructor) to view VoiceThreads submitted by classmates for this assignment.
Updates to Grading – For Instructors
- View a full summary of the assignment, including description, type, requirements, and grading style.
- There are now 3 status categories of students:
- Unattempted: student has not yet clicked “Start Assignment” at all.
- In Progress: student has started working on the assignment, but has not formally submitted yet
- Submitted: student has formally submitted
- Instructors can grade students who are “In progress” even if they haven’t submitted yet.
- Graded students are moved to a separate tab in the interface to keep the “to-grade” list cleaner.
- After a student’s assignment has been graded, instructors can go back and “un-submit” their assignment so they can try again.
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