Group Projects using VoiceThread (Instructors)
This article is intended for instructors who would like to use VoiceThread for group projects. This article also contains a guide for students to create, collaborate on, and submit a VoiceThread group project as a VoiceThread Assignment.
Overview:
VoiceThread assignments do not offer an option for Group Assignment submissions.
This means, only one student from each group will submit the group's VoiceThread as an assignment submission, and grading to be manually input in the Grade Center for the other group members.
For instructors the process would include the following steps (additional detail provided below)
Create VT Home Page link in the course
Create Sub-groups
Assign Group Members
Create VoiceThread “Create” Assignment link
Step 1: Create a VoiceThread Home page Link
To access their VT group and work on the group VoiceThread, students will need to access the VoiceThread (VT) homepage. As such, the instructor should create a VT Homepage link in their HuskyCT course and provide directions to students that they will need to use the VT homepage to access their VT group and group project.
From your HuskyCT course, after clicking on VoiceThread tool in the course, select VT Home Page.
In the Activity name, provide the name that will appear in HuskyCT (ie, VT Homepage). Then click Publish.
After seeing the success message, close the tab and refresh your HuskyCT page.
Step 2: Create Sub-Groups in VoiceThread
Navigate to the VT Homepage using the previously created link in your course.
From the side menu Courses tab, click on the Course name and number for this term.
From the course page, click the 3 dots. Then select Create sub-groups.
Specify the number of groups to create. To apply custom names to the groups, check the box.
Click Create to finalize the group creation.
Step 3: Assign Group members
Before you can assign groups, refresh the VT homepage.
From the side Courses list, the created groups will appear under the course name. Click on a group to assign members.
Once the group is in focus, click + Add members.
From Group settings, click + Add members again.
Then select Add members from groups and courses.
Then click on the Courses tab.
Then scroll down to your course section, and click the Show members drop-down.
Click the check box next to the students you want to add to the group. Then click Continue, then Add.
Continue assigning students to each of your created groups.
Students will automatically be assigned to the VoiceThread groups which they will be able to view from their Courses tab of the VT Home Page.
Step 4: Create a VoiceThread Assignment with Student Gallery
From the VoiceThread tool in HuskyCT, select VoiceThread Assignment, then the assignment type Create.
From the Assignment settings page, there are a few important settings to select.
For the Number of comments students must record on their own VoiceThread it is important to specify '0.' This allows comments created by any group member (not only the creator/submitter) to satisfy the Group Project requirements. If you want to specify the number of comments needed for this Group assignment, specify that information in the Assignment description – not in the setup requirements.
Turn off Allow download, Allow export, and Allow students to make a copy. These settings will affect the VoiceThreads in the Student Gallery, and it is likely that students would not want their work downloaded or copied by other students without their knowledge.
Enable the Student Gallery option. The Student Gallery is accessed through the VoiceThread assignment link in HuskyCT.
Before students submit their group VoiceThread, remind them to make a copy of the VoiceThread and to submit the copied version for the assignment.