Using H5P to Build Interaction into “Solving for Why”
For our learning resource “Solving for Why,” one of the most promising tools for building meaningful interaction is H5P, a free and open-source framework for creating interactive HTML5 content. Specifically, I want to explore how H5P’s Drag the Words content type could support one of our core learning activities: matching real-world scenarios to their corresponding algebraic equations.
What kind of interaction does this H5P activity require from students?
H5P forces students to actively respond, they cannot progress without dragging each equation to its matching scenario. This is what Bates (2022) calls inherent interaction: the medium itself requires a response. Unlike a video where a student can passively watch, H5P makes engagement non-optional.
Try it yourself here is a sample activity I built for our learning resource:
In what way are students likely to respond on their own?
Beyond the built-in drag task, students engage in what Bates (2022) calls learner-generated interaction, mentally working through each scenario before dragging. A student reading “Two smoothies cost $16” will naturally reason through the math before matching it to 2x = 16. This internal reasoning is where the real learning happens.
What activity could follow the H5P interaction?
After completing the matching task, students could move into an H5P Fill in the Blanks exercise where they construct their own equations from a partially completed word problem. This is designed interaction (Bates, 2022) that builds a deeper skill: equation construction rather than just recognition.
How do students receive feedback?
H5P provides immediate, automated feedback, students see which matches were correct and can retry. This is manageable for instructors because it requires no manual grading and scales to any class size. For our target audience of Grade 9 students who may have math anxiety, the low-stakes, retry-friendly design reduces pressure while keeping the cognitive challenge intact.
References:
Bates, A. W. (2022). 10.6 Interaction. In Teaching in a digital age (3rd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3/chapter/pedagogical-roles-for-text-audio-and-video/
Thanks for providing an example of the interactive component, it worked really well! Looking forward to exploring more types of H5P content in the full learning resource, it was super interesting to learn more about the theories behind why these types of interactive elements make for a good learning experience!