Interactive Engagement with Self-Paced Learning Content in a Didactic Course

1. Development of H5P Content

The web-based H5P platform offers 54 content types, of which seven were selected for use in the OBIOL 203 (Oral Biology) - Survey of Biochemistry course. The chosen content types included drag and drop, drag the words, dialogue card, memory game, quiz, fill in the blanks, and crossword (Table 1). OBIOL 203 requires students to develop proficiency in recognizing biomolecules, chemical bonds, structures, and reactions. Accordingly, the drag-and-drop, dialogue card, and memory game types were used to create activities centered around images. For text-based learning, crossword, drag the words, and fill-in-the-blanks were employed (Figure 1, Table 1).

Table 1

Distribution of interactive H5P content throughout the OBIOL 203 course

Figure 1

Representative examples of interactive content created for students using the H5P platform. (A, B) Drag and drop. (C, D) Drag the words. Students can drag text or images to the appropriate locations. They receive immediate feedback on their performance by clicking “Check” and can click “Retry” as many times as needed to improve their performance. (E, F) Dialogue cards. On these two-sided digital flashcards, side 1 contains an image, clue, or question. (G) Crossword puzzle. (H) Memory game.

With “drag and drop” items, students must place items in their proper positions within a provided table or image (Figure 1A, 1B). “Drag the words” requires students to move text into the appropriate spot in a sentence from a predetermined set of words or phrases (Figure 1C, 1D). “Dialogue cards” function as two-sided flashcards, with one side presenting an image, concept, or question and the reverse side revealing the answer (Figure 1E, 1F). The crossword activity resembles a traditional crossword puzzle, with clues pertaining to the study material (Figure 1G). In the H5P memory game, students must identify pairs of images; upon finding a match, the name of the image is displayed, which helps reinforce learning (Figure 1H). The quiz functionality features several question types, including multiple choice and true/false. Additionally, fill-in-the-blank questions were developed as supplementary interactive content (Table 1).

2. Implementation of H5P Content

OBIOL 203 is a 2.0-credit synchronous online didactic course offered to first-year dental hygiene students. We created 52 artifacts using H5P, which were then uploaded to the learning management system (LMS) (Table 1). Of these, 42 H5P artifacts were designed to reinforce the concepts presented in individual lectures. The remaining 10 artifacts integrated concepts from multiple lectures to deepen and broaden understanding (Table 1).

3. Study Design and Participants

The research employed a descriptive study design [8]. The participants were 28 students enrolled in OBIOL 203 during the winter 2024 term. The University of Alberta Research Ethics Board granted approval for this study (No. Pro00117742).

4. Data Collection and Analysis

OBIOL 203 included three non-cumulative exams. The course guide specified the lecture content covered in each exam. For each exam, the difficulty indices generated by the exam platform were collected and analyzed. The difficulty index represents the percentage of students who answered a question correctly, with a higher index thus indicating better class performance on that question [9]. Exam questions were categorized into two groups: (A) questions on concepts that were presented with supplementary H5P content and (B) questions on concepts that lacked such content. In the three exams, 58%, 51%, and 46% of questions, respectively, were based on concepts with supplementary H5P content available in the LMS. We compared the difficulty indices between the two sets of questions. Statistical analyses, specifically two-tailed t-tests with a significance threshold of p ≤ 0.05, were performed using Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). Student engagement data were analyzed for all 28 students, quantified as the number of interactions with the H5P content in the LMS. Using Microsoft Excel, we calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to assess the relationship between student interactions with the H5P content and overall course grade [10]. An anonymous 14-item survey was made available on the LMS. The survey introduction provided a study description and an invitation to participate. Only those who consented to participate completed and submitted the questionnaire. Thus, consent was implied by overt action.

1. Impact of H5P Content on Academic Performance

To address RQ1, we evaluated student performance on all three summative exams. Students performed significantly better on questions associated with topics for which interactive H5P content was provided (p = 0.0077, 0.0027, and 0.00038 for the three exams, respectively), compared to questions about concepts that lacked such content (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Impact of interactive H5P content on student academic performance. The relevant course (OBIOL 203 - Survey of Biochemistry) includes three non-cumulative assessments: (A) exam I, (B) exam II, and (C) exam III. Exam questions were categorized into two groups: (A) questions about concepts that were presented with supplementary H5P content and (B) questions regarding concepts that lacked such content. The difficulty indices of these two sets of questions were compared. Statistical analyses were conducted using two-tailed t-tests, with significance set at p ≤ 0.05, using Microsoft Excel.

2. Student Engagement with H5P Content

Regarding RQ2, 96% of the class engaged with the H5P activities. We plotted the total number of interactions with the H5P content over the course timeline, which showed that interactions peaked during and around exam weeks (Figure 3A).

Figure 3

(A) Student engagement with H5P content throughout the course timeline. We collected data on the frequency of interactions with this content from the learning management system (LMS) and plotted it over the course timeline for the 28 students. (B) Correlation between course grade and interactions with H5P content. Microsoft Excel was used for Pearson correlation analysis (r = 0.368). (C) Student engagement with the H5P content over time. Patterns of interaction with this content were analyzed for six students, specifically those who ranked in the top three and bottom three for overall course grade. Student-specific engagement data were collected from the LMS and plotted across the course timeline.

3. Correlation between Student Engagement with H5P Content and Course Grade

To address RQ3, we plotted student-specific engagement data against overall course grades. The analysis revealed a weak positive linear correlation (correlation coefficient r = 0.368) (Figure 3B).

4. Student Engagement with H5P Content over Time

For RQ3, we conducted a more detailed analysis of the interaction patterns with H5P content among the six students ranked in the top three and bottom three for overall course grades. Two of the three highest-scoring students engaged with the H5P content throughout the course. One student from the bottom three did not interact with this content at all. The remaining two students in the lower ranks engaged with the H5P content solely during exam weeks. One student with a top-ranking grade similarly engaged with the content exclusively during exam weeks (Figure 3C).

5. Student Perceptions of H5P Content

To address RQ4, a survey was conducted with a response rate of 61% from the class (n = 17). Among the respondents, 95% affirmed that the H5P content facilitated easier and more enjoyable learning and positively impacted the overall experience. Furthermore, 89% reported that the H5P content had aided in clarifying concepts. All respondents (100%) expressed a desire for H5P content to be included in other areas of their studies (Figure 4A).

Figure 4

(A) Percentage distribution of student survey responses. Students enrolled in the OBIOL 203 course during the winter 2024 term were invited to participate in a voluntary, anonymous survey. Of the class, 61% (n = 17) responded. (B) Student perceptions of the primary benefits of the H5P content. (C) Student perceptions of the most helpful types of H5P content. (D) Representative student comments from the open-ended survey questions.

When asked to identify the primary benefits of H5P content, both the ability to self-assess and the flexibility to access the content at any time were selected by 94% of respondents (Figure 4B). The “quiz” format emerged as the students’ preferred content type, followed by “drag and drop” and “drag the words” (Figure 4C). Responses to open-ended questions provided additional evidence of student satisfaction and offered suggestions for future improvements (Figure 4D).