How do I add a link to the VoiceThread Dashboard in an Ultra course?

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in several ways – text, voice, audio file, or webcam. Faculty can create and share a VoiceThread with students and colleagues for them to review in presentation mode or to record comments for increased engagement and feedback. Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.

Access the UMBC VoiceThread FAQ.

Add VoiceThread to Your Ultra Course

1. Click on the + button wherever you would like to add your VoiceThread link.

2. Click on “Content Market”.

3. Find “VoiceThread” in your list of tools and select it.

4. VoiceThread setup will launch.

Setting up your VoiceThread link

After you have added VoiceThread to your course, you’ll need to decide what you want students to see when they click on that link. Start by clicking on the link you’ve just created. This will show you the VoiceThread Setup page, where you can select the option that best fits your needs. These options are detailed below.

Note: If you want VoiceThread integrated with your gradebook, you must use the Assignment Builder.

Course View - Display the collection of VoiceThreads that have been shared with your course. Anything that has not yet been explicitly shared with your course will not appear here. This is a good option when you want students to find and comment on each other’s work or if you want to allow students to review all course materials prior to an exam.
Individual VT - Display any VoiceThread that you have created. When students click on the link, they’ll see just this one VoiceThread. This option is the best way to create a VoiceThread discussion board or lecture. Students will not need to look through a collection of VoiceThreads to find the correct one; they will be taken straight to it.
VT Home - Display all of a student’s VoiceThread content in a single view. This includes all VoiceThreads and all courses that belong to them. This option is useful if you want to create a simple portal into VoiceThread without directing students to any specific content.
Assignment Builder - Create a graded assignment for students to complete. You can require them to create a VoiceThread of their own to submit, to comment on a VoiceThread you’ve created, or simply to watch a VoiceThread start to finish. NOTE: Submitted assignments do not show up in the “Needs Grading” area of the grade center.

Note: Once you have completed VoiceThread Setup, you will need to refresh Blackboard to see the VoiceThread link populate in your course shell.

Configuring VoiceThread for your Grade Book

Once you have completed VoiceThread setup, you will need to refresh Blackboard to see the VoiceThread link populate in your course shell.

You may Edit the link you just created to customize the title, description, publishing, and grade book settings.

5. Click Save.

Troubleshooting tips

Can’t see student submission for grading: The student likely did not click the “Submit Assignment” button after completing their work. The student can simply go back into the assignment and click “Submit Assignment” at a later time. The student will not need to re-do their work.

You’re not automatically signed in to VoiceThread when you click on a VT link: Make sure your web browser accepts third-party cookies.

When you click on a VT link, you see a page titled “VoiceThread Account Verification” - This means you already had a VoiceThread account under your email address, and the system is now trying to connect that existing account with your Blackboard profile. You’ll only need to complete this step once. To proceed through this page:

Click on the link that says “Set it here” to set a verification password for your account.
Proceed through the steps to set a password. This will involve receiving an email from VoiceThread.
Use that password you just set on the verification page.