VoiceThread: A Useful Program Evaluation Tool
in THE JOURNAL OF EXTENSION FEBRUARY 2018 // VOLUME 56 // NUMBER 1 // TOOLS OF THE TRADE // 1TOT6, REBECCA MOTT, SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION COLUMBIA, MISSOURI

Abstract

In today’s digital world, Extension professionals are using a wide variety of tools to gather feedback and data from program participants and stakeholders (Rowntree, Wittman, Lindquist, & Raven, 2013). Through online asynchronous discussion boards, chat rooms, and even online live synchronous discussions, the Internet has changed the manner of qualitative data collection forever (Stancanelli, 2010). VoiceThread (http://voicethread.com) is a multimedia platform used by primary and secondary school educators around the world as a storytelling and collaborative tool that also offers promise as a tool for qualitative program evaluation. The unique features of VoiceThread provide a rich backdrop for conducting virtual focus group interviews.