H5P: Create and Manage H5P Interactive Videos in Brightspace

Create and Manage H5P Interactive Videos in Brightspace

Add questions, feedback and reflection prompts to a video, then use the submitted result to support learner progression. Follow this written step-by-step guide to create or import an H5P activity, add it through Brightspace’s LTI integration, connect Grades and test the learner experience.

  • Create a video activity or import an existing .h5p package.
  • Create or import it through a temporary page, skip the page’s grade item, delete the page, then add the saved H5P using the LTI placement.
  • Choose a grade weight, including 0% for required practice.
  • Use the recorded result to meet a release condition.
  • Manage existing links and troubleshoot YouTube playback.

Before You Begin

Have a suitable video URL or a video file you are permitted to use, an accurate transcript and access to H5P in your Brightspace course. If the activity should control progression, decide whether you need any submitted result or a minimum score.

Check captions and provide an accessible transcript. A video being publicly available on YouTube does not make it public domain. Credit the creator and check the rights for your intended use; do not download and re-upload someone else’s video without permission.

Recommended OC workflow: Create or import new H5P content through Creator+ Authoring Tools > Interactives in a temporary page. Skip adding the page’s grade item, save the H5P content, then delete the temporary page. Finally, add the saved H5P through the Add Existing LTI placement and manage its grade connection there. Menu labels and available controls depend on the institution’s integration and your role.

Important: YouTube videos inside page embeds
Adding an H5P Interactive Video through Creator+ Authoring Tools > Interactives places it inside a Brightspace content page. YouTube playback may work while editing or previewing the H5P but fail when learners open that page. This is a known issue with some Brightspace embedded views; it does not mean that the questions or video URL are necessarily incorrect.

For YouTube-based H5P activities, use the temporary page only for authoring. After saving the H5P content and deleting that page, add a standalone LTI topic through Add Existing and test that final course placement as a learner. In our local testing, the LTI launch played while the page embed failed. This is the recommended route to test, rather than a guarantee for every browser or video.

Understand the Three Connected Parts

H5P content, course placement and recorded result
PartPurposeWhere to manage it
H5P activityContains the video, interactions, feedback and scoring.H5P editor and LTI settings.
Brightspace placementDisplays or launches the activity from a course topic or page.Content and the registered external tool link.
Grade itemRecords the learner’s mark; its weight controls its contribution to the final grade.Grades > Manage Grades > Edit.

Check each placement separately: Using the same H5P content in a page and in a standalone topic does not guarantee a shared grade connection. Deleting a page does not necessarily delete its grade item.

Step 1: Check Existing H5P Links

  1. Open Course Admin > External Learning Tools.
  2. Look for links already registered for your H5P activities. Compare their names and descriptions before adding another placement.
  3. Return to Content to place or launch the intended activity.

Two different screens: The External Learning Tools page lists course LTI links; it is not the H5P content library. The LTI Advantage link editor may show only the name, URL, deployment, description and parameters. It may not include a new-window setting.

Step 2: Create a Temporary Page and Open Interactives

  1. In Content, select the module or unit where you are preparing the activity.
  2. Choose Create New > Page and give it a recognisable working title, such as Temporary H5P creation page. Keep it hidden from learners.
  3. In the page editor, select Creator+ Authoring Tools > Interactives.
  4. Open the H5P library or select Import Existing Interactive to access its creation and upload tools.

Two stages: Use this temporary page to create or import the H5P content. Later, remove the page and add the saved activity as a standalone LTI topic. The final learner activity will be the LTI placement.

Step 3: Create or Import the H5P Content

  1. From the Interactives interface, open the H5P content library using Import Existing Interactive if needed.
  2. For new content, choose Add Content > Interactive Video and enter a clear activity title.
  3. For a package, choose Add Content > Upload, select the .h5p file and select Use.
  4. Continue through the editing steps below. Preview imported questions, feedback and timings; report missing-library messages to Educational Technology.

Save the activity before removing the page: The H5P content must be saved in the H5P library so it can be selected later for an LTI placement. A YouTube-based package references the original video; it does not contain a downloaded copy. Brightspace grade associations, weights and release conditions are configured separately.

Step 4: Add the Video and Check Access

  1. Under Upload/embed video, select the option to add a video.
  2. Paste a supported video URL, such as a YouTube watch link, or upload a supported file you are permitted to use.
  3. Confirm the source and test playback.
  4. Check the source captions. For an uploaded video, add caption text tracks as needed; provide a transcript alongside the activity.

You can use England Rugby’s beginner video or the voltage-gated ion channels video as examples when you have checked suitability and reuse requirements. A linked source may become unavailable or change later.

Test in the course: Editor playback alone does not confirm playback in Brightspace’s learner view. Test the actual placement before releasing it.

Step 5: Add Questions and Feedback

  1. Select Add interactions, play the video and pause after an important explanation.
  2. Choose Multiple Choice, True/False Question or another suitable interaction.
  3. Set its display time, enter the question and responses, and identify the correct answer.
  4. Add short feedback that explains the answer. Allow retries for practice.
  5. Enable Pause video if learners should stop and respond. Choose a direct display or a button as appropriate.
  6. Select Done, position it clearly and repeat at other meaningful points.

Design for learning: Place questions after the relevant explanation, avoid covering essential visuals, and check the activity with keyboard navigation. H5P is useful for practice and knowledge checks; it is not a secure exam tool.

Step 6: Use a Transcript to Draft Questions (Optional)

A transcript can help you write questions yourself or draft them with an approved generative AI tool. Where available, H5P Smart Import can also generate draft interactives from source material.

Suggested prompt:
Using only this timestamped transcript, draft six multiple-choice questions with four options each, one correct answer and brief explanatory feedback. Suggest a timestamp after the relevant explanation for each question. Include three recap statement sets. Flag anything unclear, simplified or potentially outdated.

  1. Check every answer against the video and your learning outcomes.
  2. Correct transcription errors and check subject accuracy.
  3. Check the suggested timestamps against playback.
  4. Review any generated or imported activity before using it with learners. Share only material you are permitted to provide to the tool.

Step 7: Set Playback, Summary and Submission

  1. Open Behavioural settings. Enable the 10-second rewind option if useful.
  2. Decide whether to prevent forward skipping. Open navigation is usually better for longer videos that learners need to revisit.
  3. Add an optional Summary task to reinforce key ideas. In each statement set, enter the correct statement first in the editor.
  4. In Add interactions, move near the end after the last task, select the green star and add a Submit screen.
  5. Ensure there is at least one scored interaction. Preview the ending and confirm that Submit Answers is available.

Summary and submission are different: The recap reinforces learning; the Submit screen sends the final result. Tell learners to answer the questions, complete the recap and select Submit Answers. Reaching the end of playback does not by itself prove that every question was answered or that the learner understood the video.

Step 8: Save H5P, Remove the Temporary Page and Add the LTI Topic

  1. In the H5P editor, set LTI settings to send the First, Last or Best attempt as appropriate. Keep reporting enabled for the final graded LTI activity.
  2. Select Save and Insert, then Insert, as shown. At the page’s grade prompt, select Skip For Now or the equivalent option to proceed without adding a grade item. Do not add the page’s grade item.
  3. Finish saving the temporary page. Confirm the named H5P activity has been saved to the H5P library before removing anything.
  4. Delete the temporary Brightspace page from Content. Retain the saved H5P content in the H5P library.
  5. Return to the target module and select Add Existing. Use the configured H5P LTI placement; depending on the menu this may appear under External Learning Tools or More > Third Party > H5P.
  6. Select the saved H5P activity by its title and insert it as a standalone topic. If the menu only lists registered links and does not offer a library picker, ask Educational Technology to check the H5P placement.
  7. Open the standalone topic and use Edit Activity > Add and Manage Grade Items, where available, to check, create or select its grade association. Reuse an automatically created item rather than making a duplicate.
  8. Save the activity. Add the learner instruction: Watch the video, answer the questions and select Submit Answers at the end.

Check for leftovers: Skipping the page prompt avoids intentionally creating its grade item. Before releasing the final topic, check Grades > Manage Grades and Course Admin > External Learning Tools for unexpected duplicates. Delete only the temporary page; do not delete the saved H5P activity or the final LTI link. Test score return through the final placement.

Step 9: Choose the Grade Weight

  1. Go to Grades > Manage Grades.
  2. Open the linked item’s menu and select Edit.
  3. Check its name, maximum points and category.
  4. In a weighted gradebook, assign a positive weight if it should carry course marks, or set Weight to 0% for required practice with no contribution to the final grade.
  5. Keep a positive maximum points value, such as 10. Save, and check category settings if they automatically distribute item weights.
Two ways to use the same graded H5P activity
OptionFinal gradeRelease conditions
Positive weightContributes according to its assigned weight.The recorded result can meet a grade-based condition.
Weight of 0%Does not contribute to the final grade.The recorded result can still meet the same condition.

Zero weight is not zero maximum points: The activity still receives and records a result. Weight controls the final-grade contribution, not whether the result exists. In a points-based gradebook, use Exclude from Final Grade Calculation instead of a weight.

Step 10: Set a Release Condition for Progression

  1. Edit the next topic, module or activity that should become available.
  2. Under its availability or conditions settings, create a release condition.
  3. Choose Grades > Grade value on a grade item and select the H5P numeric grade item.
  4. For participation where any submitted score is acceptable, use a condition such as greater than or equal to 0%. For a required achievement standard, use a threshold such as 80%.
  5. Save and test with a learner account before release.

Weight and threshold are separate: A 0%-weighted item can still meet an 80% result requirement, for example. For an any-score condition, a blank grade should not unlock the next item, but an actual zero recorded manually or by another process can satisfy a ≥0% condition. Avoid placeholder zeros and test both the unsubmitted and submitted states.

Completion has different meanings: This workflow uses the submitted result to satisfy a progression condition. It does not independently mark the Content topic complete, prove full video viewing or complete the entire course. Automatic topic completion may only record opening an LTI link; manual completion is learner confirmation. Awards and completion messages need separate configuration.

Step 11: Test as a Learner Before Release

  1. Use a learner account or an institutionally supported test learner. Instructor preview alone does not verify grade return.
  2. Before submission, check that the next restricted item remains unavailable.
  3. Launch the actual H5P topic in Content, test the video, captions, questions and keyboard controls, then select Submit Answers.
  4. Check that the result reaches the intended grade item. Test a second attempt if retries are enabled.
  5. Confirm the release condition behaves as intended and a 0%-weighted item makes no final-grade contribution.
  6. If several placements exist, test each one rather than assuming they share a connection.

Missing score? Check the Submit screen, H5P score-reporting setting, learner role and the topic’s grade association. Compare registered links in External Learning Tools before adding duplicates.

Edit or Disconnect an Existing Activity

  1. Edit questions or video: Open the H5P content editor. Check where the content is reused; clone it first if another course or placement needs a different version.
  2. Edit the course grade item: Use Grades > Manage Grades > Edit for its name, points, category and weight.
  3. Manage the association: Use the standalone topic’s Edit Activity > Add and Manage Grade Items. This is separate from editing its weight.
  4. Stop reporting for a topic: Choose Reset to Ungraded in that dialog’s Grade Book menu, select OK and save. The activity stays accessible; the existing grade item and recorded marks remain.
  5. Before deleting: Check remaining placements, grade items and release conditions. Removing a placement is not a substitute for checking its grade association.

Required practice at 0%? Keep the association and reporting. Disconnecting the item prevents new results from supporting this grade-based progression workflow.

Alternative: Page Embeds and the YouTube Limitation

For inline practice, open the page editor and choose Creator+ Authoring Tools > Interactives. Select or create the H5P content, save and insert it. This placement puts H5P inside the page and is different from adding a standalone LTI topic through Add Existing.

  1. Add Grade Item: Where the prompt appears for a score-reporting interactive, this creates the item immediately.
  2. Skip For Now / Proceed Without Grade Item: Read the exact prompt. Where it says creation can occur after a learner completes the activity, skipping is not a guarantee that no grade item will appear.
  3. Existing embeds: The Add Grade Item prompt cannot currently be reopened for an existing embed. Do not assume inserting a separate LTI topic changes the embed’s association.
  4. Reuse: Prefer the standalone Add Existing workflow when managing grade connections is the priority. For the recommended authoring workflow, use the page temporarily, skip its grade item, save the H5P content and delete the page before adding the final LTI topic. Check the links and grade items it leaves behind.

Playback and grade reporting are separate checks: A Creator+ page placement may use the institutional H5P integration and still encounter the YouTube playback issue. A public iframe copied from H5P is a different case and does not establish an LTI grade connection. For either supported course placement, verify playback and grade return separately.

Troubleshoot YouTube Playback in Brightspace

A YouTube video can play in the H5P editor but fail after insertion into a Brightspace page through Creator+ Authoring Tools > Interactives. The editor preview, saved page embed and standalone LTI topic are different launch contexts. H5P lists domain-restriction and player-configuration errors as known issues. Although the address bar shows learn.okanagancollege.ca, the H5P activity can load from ocedtech.h5p.com inside additional frames.

  1. Test the standalone H5P LTI launch added through Add Existing. If that is the working route, use it and verify learner playback and grade return.
  2. If a page embed fails, return to Content and test a standalone H5P placement through Add Existing. If the page also provides an open interactive in a new window link, you can test it. Open the whole H5P activity, not just Watch on YouTube; that YouTube link bypasses the interactions.
  3. If launch controls are absent from Edit Activity or the External Learning Tools link editor, ask the Brightspace administrator to check the deployment’s external-resource launch options. These controls are not present on every screen or role.
  4. Record the exact error, browser and failing placement. Error 153 concerns missing referring-site identification; errors 101/150 indicate an owner restriction on embedding.
  5. If the problem persists, supply support with the working editor or LTI route and the failing Content route. An authorised uploaded video file can avoid reliance on YouTube playback, but needs separate caption and access checks.

Local observation: In the testing behind this guide, the H5P LTI route played the video while an embedded view failed. Treat this as a route to test, not a guarantee for every video or learner. Rebuilding the questions or changing their grade weight does not address an embedded-player launch problem.

Official Documentation and Support

Do not rely on the editor preview for YouTube playback. A YouTube source can play in the H5P authoring environment and then display a domain-restriction or embedding error inside the saved Brightspace page. Test the saved page through the learner route. If it fails, use and test the standalone LTI placement before publishing the activity.

For help with access, importing packages, grade connections or playback, contact Educational Technology or visit Okanagan College’s Brightspace support hub. Include the course, activity title, launch route, exact error and test results; exclude learner marks and personal details.

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