Ed Tech Tools & Tips 3: Create Interactive Videos with H5P

For instructional videos, how long is too long? Research by Techsmith, the makers of Camtasia (which incidentally BCIT has a free staff subscription to) suggests that people prefer short videos, usually in the 3-6 minute range. But that figure really varies. If you reach the audience that is interested in your topic, and you have engaging content that meets their expectations, people will stick with you way longer than that. The same TechSmith blog has helpful tips for making sure you keep your audience until the credits role. They include prompting “viewers to actively follow along with your video, post thought-provoking questions and ask for comments, feedback, and other engagement.” And that’s where H5P comes in.

With H5P, you can add interactive elements into your video to encourage your audience to stay actively engaged in your content. What does that look like?  Check out my first experiment with H5P; it’s a video I did for Annacis Island Campus to promote Library services there.

https://h5p.commons.bcit.ca/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&id=1104

If you got through the whole thing, you probably noticed my weird narrative enunciation, but also hopefully a number of elements, some interactive, embedded in the video. There are the drop-down quizzes, section headings, live hyperlinks, and a summary activity.  In addition to links, images or text, you can embed the following question types:

• True/False
• Fill in the Blank
• Multiple Choice
• Drag and drops (matching)
• Navigation

By the way, if you want to see some more dynamic (=better) uses of H5P, check out the Vital Sign Measurement Across the Lifespan textbook on BC Campus. There’s really impressive integration of H5P videos in the text. I hope one day all textbooks look like this.

But does H5P (and other similar tools) make a difference in student learning? The technology is fairly new but some research is encouraging. For example a study at Utrecht University found that pop-up questions in videos did improve student performance on tests, and this was true whether or not the tested item had been addressed in a pop-up question. The researchers speculate that the mere presence of pop-up questions focuses students’ attention on the video generally. At least, it seems to foster the sort of active learning that is a tenet of BCIT’s e-Learning Strategy while supporting instructors’ “capacity to create and maintain their own e-learning environments.”

Are you sold? Here’s how to get started:

REGISTER: Contact your IDC liaison at the LTC or fill out the “Request Help” form at https://h5p.commons.bcit.ca/  and someone from the LTC will get back to you.

EXPLORE: Once you are in go to “H5P Content” and get some ideas of what you would like to do in your video.  Marvel at some of the impressive work done by your colleagues. Click on “Add new” and “Details” to explore examples of the various content types.

CREATE: Drop your YouTube video into the Interactive Video tool and consider the type of license you want to use for your content. Then, start adding those interactions. When you are done creating, use the ‘embed’ tool at the bottom of the screen to load it into your course Hub.

That’s it! If you run into snags, check out the H5P site for more how-to’s of H5P video creation. https://h5p.org/tutorial-interactive-video  Also Michelle Nakano mnuttall1@bcit.ca  and the other IDC’s at the LTC is are great sources of help.

Have you used H5P already? Leave a comment of your experience and student reactions.