Transitioning Away from SoftChalk

Introduction

The Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology (COLTT) is formally transitioning away from SoftChalk Cloud as part of UTRGV’s broader move to a fully integrated Brightspace learning environment and will no longer renew the institutional contract with SoftChalk Cloud. Instead, faculty and staff are encouraged to adopt **Brightspace Creator+ with H5P, which provides equivalent—and expanded—interactive content capabilities directly within Brightspace.

Timeline for SoftChalk Support

  • Now – Until July 15, 2026
    • Faculty may continue using existing SoftChalk content.
    • COLTT will offer transition guidance and training focused on moving content into Brightspace using Creator+ and H5P.
  • After July 15, 2026 (End of Institutional Support)
    • SoftChalk will no longer be supported or offered institutionally.
    • COLTT will not provide technical support for SoftChalk beyond this date.

Why the transition to Creator+ and H5P?

Brightspace Creator+ with H5P allows faculty to:

  • Create interactive, media-rich content comparable to SoftChalk (accordions, tabs, interactive questions, videos, and knowledge checks).

  • Keep students fully within the Brightspace environment, reducing external links and navigation issues.

  • Improve accessibility, consistency, and long-term sustainability.

  • Benefit from ongoing platform development and integration within Brightspace.

This shift aligns with institutional goals for student experience, accessibility compliance, and instructional efficiency.

Faculty Options Moving Forward

Option 1: Transition to Creator+ and H5P (Recommended)

  • Fully supported by COLTT
  • Integrated directly into Brightspace
  • Covered in COLTT trainings, workshops, and documentation
  • Supported for troubleshooting, accessibility guidance, and instructional design best practices

Option 2: Independently Purchase a SoftChalk License

  • Faculty may choose to purchase and maintain their own SoftChalk license
  • COLTT will not provide technical support for SoftChalk under individual licenses
  • All support, troubleshooting, and training will be provided by SoftChalk’s support team
  • Faculty are responsible for ensuring compatibility, accessibility, and long-term maintenance

Steps to Take

Save your SoftChalk lessons as .zip files for archival/reference, then unzip if you need to access the raw content later.

Organization Tip: Create a master folder named SoftChalk. Inside it, make subfolders for each course or PD (e.g., BIOL-1306, AI PD). Save each lesson’s .zip into the appropriate subfolder. This makes future reference easy.

Step-By-Step Instructions

  1. Go to softchalkcloud.com/login and sign in with your account credentials.
  2. In the top navigation, select My Content → Lessons.
  3. Open each folder that contains lessons you wish to keep. (Repeat per folder.)
  4. Click a Lesson Title to open it. After the page loads, locate Lesson Actions and choose Download Lesson.
  5. Your lesson will download as a .zip file. Save it to the appropriate subfolder in your SoftChalk folder.
  6. Repeat steps 4–5 for each lesson you want to keep. Note: You can download only one lesson at a time.

How to Unzip (If You Need to Access Files Later)

For Windows:

  1. Right-click the .zip file → select Extract All…
  2. Choose a destination folder (keep within your course subfolder)
  3. Click Extract

For macOS:

  1. Double-click the .zip file
  2. macOS creates an unzipped folder in the same location

Verify Your Archive

  • Confirm each intended lesson has a corresponding .zip in your course folder.
  • Optionally unzip one lesson and open index.html in a browser to spot-check assets.
  • Keep the .zip as your master archive; use the unzipped copy for reference only.

Important Notes:

  • One at a time: SoftChalk Cloud downloads are per-lesson.
  • Archival purpose: These packages are provided for record and reference only. We recommend rebuilding your lessons directly in Brightspace using Creator+ for page‑embedded interactive elements and/or H5P for graded interactive activities.
  • Links & media: Legacy links in the HTML may point to old locations. When rebuilding, re-upload assets to Brightspace and relink.
  • Accessibility: Plan to add alt text, captions, and correct heading structure during the Brightspace rebuild.

Resource: Downloading SoftChalk Lessons | UTRGV COLTT

Support Responsibilities After SoftChalk End-of-Life

After July 15, 2026:

SoftChalk support

  • Provided exclusively by SoftChalk’s official support services.
  • Includes licensing, technical issues, and content troubleshooting.

COLTT support

  • Limited to Brightspace, Creator+, and H5P.
  • Includes training, instructional design support, accessibility guidance, and best practices for interactive content.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the last day UTRGV users will be able to access SoftChalk and back up or download their lessons?

  • Faculty will retain full editing, download, and backup capability until your contract end date, July 15, 2026. I'd encourage faculty to complete any backups/downloads at least a few days before that to avoid last-minute issues.

What will happen to existing SoftChalk lesson links currently placed in the LMS after our contract expires?

  • The LTI links themselves remain in your D2L Brightspace courses, but the lessons they point to will no longer load for instructors or students once the subscription ends. The links don't auto-remove — your team would need to clean those up in D2L if desired.

Will existing LMS links continue to open for instructors and students, or will access be disabled?

  • Access will be disabled. Students clicking a SoftChalk LTI link after expiration will see an error/unavailable message rather than the lesson content.

If lessons are downloaded as SCORM packages, will they still support gradebook passback in D2L Brightspace?

  • Yes. SoftChalk lessons exported as SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 packages and uploaded directly into D2L courses will continue to pass scores back to the D2L gradebook, independent of SoftChalk Cloud. This is the recommended preservation path for any graded lessons.

Can users retrieve or download their existing SoftChalk lessons after the contract has expired?

  • No — once the subscription ends, faculty profiles will be locked, and lesson content will not be accessible for download. All downloads/exports need to be completed before expiration.

Will users still be able to update or edit existing lessons after the contract expires?

  • No. Editing requires an active SoftChalk Cloud subscription (institutional or individual).

Who should users contact if they want to discuss individual or team renewals?

  • Faculty can reach me directly at will.sumerall@softchalk.com for both individual subscriptions and small team/department renewals. Individual subscriptions can also be purchased self-serve at softchalk.com.

Are there any recommended steps users should complete before the contract expires to preserve access to their lessons?

  • Yes — We'd recommend faculty do the following before the end date:
    • Download a backup (.zip) of each lesson from SoftChalk Cloud (My Content → Save → Save to local drive).
    • For any lesson used for a graded activity in D2L, export a SCORM package and upload it directly to the D2L course as a replacement for the LTI link.
    • Save copies of any uploaded media files from "My Files" that they want to retain.
    • If using SoftChalk Score Center, export any score reports they want to keep for their records.
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