The Research Behind Better Learning With H5P Interactive Design
Explore how Theresa Huff's research shows H5P and multimedia design can improve motivation, reduce anxiety, and enhance online learning.
3 Research Studies
Examining multimedia learning and H5P
Lower Anxiety
60% of students reported lower anxiety with segmented content
Higher Motivation
Found in students using H5P learning materials
Disclaimer: Results are context-specific across three studies; outcomes may vary. No compensation was provided for this interview.
When Idaho State University’s Theresa Huff began exploring multimedia learning as part of her PhD research, she was drawn to a simple question with wide implications: could thoughtful multimedia design help students feel more motivated, more confident, and less anxious in digital learning environments?
Across her doctoral research, Huff conducted three related studies examining how multimedia design influences learner motivation, engagement, and anxiety. These studies drew on cognitive science and instructional design principles, using interactive tools such as H5P to explore how design choices affect the learner experience. The findings point to practical opportunities for institutions seeking more effective online learning without adding unnecessary complexity for faculty.
A Lifelong Interest That Became a Research Path
Huff’s early attraction to multimedia came from its immersive quality. As a child, she noticed how stories that combined visuals, audio and movement held her attention and helped her remember what she’d learned. Years later, she utilized multimedia in her online courses because it created a sense of presence when an instructor couldn’t be physically present.
During graduate school, she encountered Richard Mayer’s multimedia principles (see citation below) and found them to be a strong foundation for improving digital learning design. These principles eventually shaped the structure of her research and guided the choices she made when developing interactive activities.
“I was always interested in multimedia learning,” she explains. “It was immersive and it made learning feel easier to navigate. As an independent learner, I appreciated being able to go at my own pace.”
The Question Driving Her Research
During her PhD, Huff conducted three related but distinct studies exploring active learning, learner anxiety, and multimedia design in digital learning environments. Each one examines a consistent question: does interactive multimedia influence student motivation, anxiety, attention, engagement, and satisfaction? These areas matter because students often disengage for emotional reasons, not academic ones, especially in online environments. In addition to principles such as segmenting, generative activities, and feedback, her dissertation research also examined the emotional design principle, which considers how visual and aesthetic design choices can influence learners’ emotional responses.
Across her work, several clear patterns emerged:
Students using H5P supported activities reported higher motivation. This finding aligned with a randomized controlled study she published with Daphne Tseng, which showed significantly higher motivation scores for students using an H5P enhanced digital textbook, along with meaningful gains in relevance and satisfaction.
Satisfaction and perceived relevance increased when multimedia principles were applied through interactive H5P activities. The same study demonstrated that students who progressed through interactive, self-directed H5P activities reported stronger relevance and satisfaction scores than those using a static version of the material.
Anxiety decreased significantly when content was segmented into manageable pieces. Anxiety decreased significantly when content was segmented into manageable pieces. In her dissertation research, Huff found that breaking dense content into smaller, more navigable sections using H5P Course Presentation or Accordion elements was strongly associated with reduced learner anxiety, largely because students perceived the content as more manageable and experienced greater control.
The findings were not tied to a particular subject or discipline. Instead, they were tied to the way information was structured.
How Design Principles Shape the Learning Experience
Huff’s research showed that multimedia works best when it’s grounded in design principles rather than added as a decorative layer. She used H5P because it offered a range of activity types that made it easy to apply principles such as segmenting, generative activities and feedback principles.
Across her work, the multimedia principle of segmenting showed a particularly strong effect. When Huff broke a long page of text into a sequence of short screens using H5P’s Course Presentation, students described the content as less overwhelming even though the amount of text didn’t change.
"Sixty percent said the segmented version lowered their anxiety. It felt like it would take less time. They had control over the pace."
Theresa Huff
She also used H5P’s interactive videos, quizzes, and accordion blocks to support generative activities and feedback. In this context, the generative activities focused on helping learners select and organize new information, while feedback provided learners with guidance about the accuracy of their responses as they worked through the material. Together, these design choices supported cognitive load principles and helped students stay focused. The takeaway was clear: thoughtful multimedia design, grounded in established learning principles, can support learners both emotionally and academically.
Practical Reasons H5P Worked Well for Research and Teaching
Huff is careful to emphasize that her work is grounded in pedagogy rather than tools. Even so, H5P aligned well with the needs of her studies. It offered flexibility through a wide range of activity types, portability across systems and accessibility in two important ways. As a free and open‑source tool, it made interactive design attainable without licensing barriers. At the same time, the specific H5P activity types she selected for her research were compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies, supporting learners with a range of access needs and making the design approach more sustainable for faculty working under accessibility requirements.
“I could have used other tools,” she says. “But H5P was portable, easy to build and free. That made it ideal for research and ideal for faculty too.”
For Centers for Teaching and Learning and EdTech decision makers, these qualities support scalable and sustainable practices. They reduce the technical burden and allow faculty to focus on design rather than on managing software.
What Learners Said About the Activities
In Huff’s dissertation study around anxiety that included student reflections, learners pointed to specific aspects that helped them stay engaged. They appreciated being able to move at their own pace, seeing content organized into smaller or interactive sections, and completing low pressure practice activities with immediate feedback.
These reactions reinforce the idea that motivation and anxiety influence learning outcomes as much as content knowledge. When students feel less overwhelmed, they engage more deeply with the material.
Helping Faculty Start Without Feeling Overwhelmed
In her previous work supporting faculty authors who develop OER textbooks, Huff saw firsthand how intimidating multimedia could feel. To make it more approachable, she created lookbooks that categorized H5P activities into three groups: content presentation, formative practice and deeper reflection. She also encouraged faculty to begin with their learning objectives. Identifying what students need to do helped narrow which H5P types are a good fit.
“If a learning objective included identifying or recognizing,” she explains, “that already points you toward specific activity types. It gives you a place to start instead of feeling overwhelmed by the options.”
A Future Focused on Human Connection and Intentional Use
Huff’s forward-looking reflections extend beyond multimedia and into the broader ecosystem of digital learning. She believes learners and instructors are both oversaturated with content and notifications. This leads her to think about how courses can be designed for calm rather than stimulation. She imagines interfaces that reduce cognitive clutter, assignments that require real human interaction, and structured moments of reflection that help learners consolidate what they have taken in.
“We are taking in content constantly, I’m always thinking about how to design environments that support attention and reduce anxiety. We know that when anxiety goes down, learning increases.”
Theresa Huff
Her research suggests a future where interactive content is not simply richer or more complex but more intentional and more attuned to human wellbeing.
Research With Practical Benefits for Institutions
Huff’s work provides strong evidence that interactive content can improve motivation, satisfaction and confidence, and reduce anxiety when rooted in proven design principles. H5P was the tool that made it easy for her to apply and test them at scale. However, the most important insight is that institutions can support better learning by designing content that respects cognitive load, preserves student agency and reduces unnecessary friction. When digital learning is clearer and thoughtfully structured, it becomes less overwhelming and more effective for everyone involved.
Biographies:
Theresa Huff
Theresa Huff is an Assistant Professor of Education at Cottey College and an OER Instructional Designer. Her professional expertise includes instructional design, online learning, open educational resources (OER), accessibility, H5P, Pressbooks, faculty development, and ethical AI integration. Her research focuses on multimedia learning, learner anxiety, motivation, engagement, and emotionally safe online learning environments. She has supported multi-institutional OER initiatives, presented at national and international conferences, and designs practical and human-centered learning experiences that connect research-based design with equitable and adaptable learning.
ChingYu (Daphne) Tseng
ChingYu (Daphne) Tseng is a Learning Architect at Air University’s Air Force Global College. Her professional expertise includes instructional design, online learning, accessibility, faculty development, and open educational resources (OER). Her research focuses on learner engagement, H5P-enhanced learning, authentic assessment, and innovative applications of educational technology. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences and has led initiatives that enhance online learning experiences, promote student engagement, and support excellence in professional military education.
References Cited:
Mayer, R. (2022). Multimedia learning (3rd Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Huff, T. (2024). Measuring the efficacy of using four multimedia principles in alleviating anxiety in online learning environments (Publication No. 31639845) [Doctoral dissertation, Idaho State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Huff, T., Tseng, D.C.Y. Active Learning in Open Digital Textbooks: Designing for Learner Engagement and Motivation using H5P. TechTrends 70, 240–252 (2026).
Huff, T. (2026) Designing calm in digital textbooks: Applying multimedia principles to reduce online learner anxiety. The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal
