H5P offers an easy way to add interactive elements to eLearning. Whether used as enrichment or to test learning and recall of information, interactive exercises, quizzes, and games make eLearning more engaging and effective.
What is H5P?
H5P is a free, open-source tool for creating reusable, interactive HTML5 content. An abbreviation for HTML5 Package, H5P is based on JavaScript. The content is responsive and mobile-friendly, which means that learners can use it on laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Creating content for Drupal, WordPress, or Moodle platforms requires a free plugin, but using the interactive content does not require that learners have a plugin, only a web browser.
A community website, H5P.org, supports the development and dissemination of H5P. Anyone can join the community and contribute to development of new content types and platforms. The website includes rich instruction and guidance for new users.
Developers can create content in any browser, using a supported platform; it’s even possible to “test drive” H5P using tools on the H5P website. Developers can also modify and reuse content easily, across any compatible website.
What kinds of content does H5P support?
Developers can use H5P to add interactivity to videos, presentations, and asynchronous eLearning courses. They can create:
- Games—Create matching games, memory games, flash cards, and more.
- Interactive videos—Add hotspots, supplemental text, or multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to a video. Triggering an interactive element can pause the video; responses can cause the learner to skip to the appropriate section of the video—a review of information in the case of an incorrect response or a new section when a correct response is entered.
- Hotspots—Adding hotspots to images allows developers to reveal text or additional images or trigger a video when clicked. A triggered image or video can fill the entire screen or cover only part of the screen. Hotspots may be visible or hidden; learners can be asked to find hidden hotspots by answering questions.
- Hierarchies of information—Layered images or accordion text can add levels of detail as learners interact. Present high-level information and ask learners to click on a drop-down list or open an accordion box to read more detailed facts. Alternatively, provide an image and offer more detailed information as learners click to add layers—a map can add borders, lakes and rivers, and city names, for example.
- Words, words, words—Learners can highlight words, drag words to the proper place, fill in the blanks, or match words with an image or definition, offering myriad ways to create interactive quizzes and word-based games.
- Timelines—Learners can interact with graphical timelines, clicking on dates, images, or text to reveal additional information along the timeline.
Where is H5P headed?
The H5P website displays a roadmap and timeline of goals, features to be added, and progress on earlier goals.
Developers can get started using interactive H5P enhancements by installing the appropriate plugin for their platform, downloading examples of desired content types, and revising those sample files to create the content they want. They can then embed the new H5P content in their web content. Several content types support a function to get xAPI data; some third-party software can receive xAPI-compatible reports on learners’ H5P activities.
It’s free to join the H5P community, where developers can share content, learn from tutorials and documentation, watch demos, and participate in creating new content types.