Skip to main content
Pepperdine | Community

VoiceThread Transition

OVERVIEW

Effective Summer 2023, PGBS will no longer maintain an institutional VoiceThread License. All existing VoiceThread Pro accounts will be migrated to VoiceThread Basic accounts.  

As of April, 2023, Graziadio has made the difficult decision not to renew its institutional VoiceThread license. This decision was made after careful consideration of current faculty and student use, the availability of other university instructional tools (such as Zoom and Panopto), the continued availability of free VoiceThread accounts, and the need to make difficult, yet strategic decisions on school resources. While the Business School understands that the impact of this decision will not impact all users equally, it wants to ensure the eLearning team will continue to work with the community to ensure a smooth transition.

To assist in this transition, the Graziadio eLearning team is preparing an off-boarding plan. Please view the FAQs below for more information on how you can prepare. 

 

General FAQs

What will happen to my account?

In Summer, 2023, all licensed accounts will be transitioned to free (Basic) accounts. Once this occurs, users will no longer be able to sign-in to VoiceThread via Pepperdine’s single-sign-on (CAS) gateway. Instead, users will need to begin signing-in to VoiceThread.com directly with their email address and password.

All current users will need to reset their passwords. To do so:

  1. Navigate to: https://voicethread.com/reset/
  2. Input your full Pepperdine email address (e.g. willie.wave@pepperdine.edu).
  3. Respond to the reCAPTCHA prompt (i.e. confirm you are not a robot).
  4. Click Reset.
  5. A password reset email will be generated to your Pepperdine email account. NOTE: If you do not receive the email, check your spam folder.
  6. Click the password reset link provided in the email.
  7. Supply a new, strong password. You will be prompted to input it twice. Please see tips on creating strong passwords.
  8. When finished, click Change Password. 

Once your password has been reset, access your account:

  1. Navigate to: https://voicethread.com
  2. Click Sign in at the top right.
  3. Select the Sign in with email option.
  4. Input your full Pepperdine email address and your new password.
  5. Click Sign in.


What will happen to all my content?

Users will not lose any video content during the transition. Any videos you own will continue to appear in your account. Any videos shared directly with you will continue to be shared with you as well.

In addition, users will not lose any of their comments. While there are no limits to the number or types of comments in free VoiceThread accounts, threaded commenting will no longer be available after the transition. Groups will also no longer be accessible in free accounts. 

 

What are the limits of a Free/Basic Account?

Free VoiceThread accounts have a limit of five (5) VoiceThread videos. If users already exceed the five (5) video allotment at the time of the transition, then users cannot create any additional content until they are under the limit. 

 

How does sharing content in free accounts work?

Users of free accounts can continue to embed, and link to, videos. However, secure sharing (i.e. sharing only with specific individuals) is not available for free accounts. 


Special Considerations for Faculty

What impact will this have on my classes?

For a majority of faculty, the impact will be very minimal. However, there are a couple of items to be mindful of:

  • Do you encourage your students to create VoiceThread content for class activities? If so, you can continue to suggest free VoiceThread accounts as an option, but you may wish to expand the list of options to include Zoom and Panopto. NOTE: You may wish to review and update your syllabus and/or course site(s), as needed.
  • Do you embed, or link to, VoiceThread content in your course site(s)? If so, please reach out to eLearning@pepperdine.edu.