The free event brought the H5P community together for a day of practical examples, product updates, thoughtful discussion and networking. Across the sessions, one message came through clearly: effective digital learning is not about adding more technology. It is about using the right tools with clear learning intentions.

Looking ahead with H5P

The day opened with H5P Senior Director of Sales Nils Viken and Community Manager Kelly Choi, who shared updates on H5P’s product roadmap and community initiatives.

The session explored recent developments including the OER Hub, learner experience improvements, interactive video, accessibility updates, hotspots, plugin and open-source workflows, and the introduction of Smart Import.

Looking ahead, H5P’s priorities include improved AI-assisted authoring, stronger data and reporting, broader LMS and LTI support, and continued investment in core reliability, accessibility and plugin stability.

The session also highlighted the important role of the community in shaping H5P’s future. New community maintainers, open-source contribution pathways and monthly webinars are helping create more opportunities for users and contributors to share feedback, solve problems and support one another.

Moving from interactivity to intentional learning

Dr Kashmira Dave from the University of New England explored how H5P can support adaptive learning pathways.

Rather than treating interactive activities as isolated additions to an online course, the session focused on creating structured learning experiences where students progress based on their interaction, understanding and achievement.

Interactive videos, quizzes, reflective prompts and branching scenarios can work together to create a more coherent learning pathway. Grounded in constructive alignment and mastery learning, this approach places pedagogy at the centre of the design process.

Transforming didactic teaching with Smart Import

Scott Hallman from Otago Medical School Christchurch shared a three-year journey using H5P Smart Import to transform recorded lectures into interactive learning modules.

Working as part of a small team, Scott demonstrated how Smart Import helped convert static, didactic content into “Smart Tutorials” containing videos, transcripts, summaries and questions.

The results were significant. In one example, 35 lectures were converted in a single day. In another, course development time was reduced to approximately three or four weeks. One case-based learning initiative achieved 90% pre-task completion in its first year.

However, the session also reinforced that AI-generated content is a starting point rather than a finished product. Subject matter experts still need to review, refine and approve the content. The value of Smart Import lies not only in saving time, but also in making it easier for experts to engage in conversations about content quality and learning design.

Exploring immersive learning with AI

Zoe Zhang from Victoria University demonstrated how educators can create immersive 360-degree learning environments using H5P Virtual Tour and Skybox AI.

The example showed how learners could explore virtual spaces, move between rooms, watch videos, answer questions and reflect on learning design principles.

A key takeaway was that AI-generated environments do not need to be exact replicas of real locations. They can be used as emotional and contextual containers that create a setting for learning.

The session also returned to an important design principle: technology can make an experience possible, but pedagogy determines why it should exist.

Bringing strategy to life through gamification

Benedict Ciantar from RMIT University presented the “Strategy Sprint”, a branching scenario designed for a business strategy course.

Students worked in teams, took on executive roles and responded to challenges based on the Australian retailer Myer. Each round required students to discuss a strategic problem, make a decision and explain their reasoning through H5P.

The activity was designed to be collaborative, practical and scalable rather than overly complex. Student feedback suggested that the role-play format felt realistic and helped connect theoretical concepts with workplace decision-making.

The project also demonstrated the importance of simplifying the design process. After an early version became difficult to manage, the activity was rebuilt around a clearer branching structure in H5P.

Designing with accessibility, quality and sustainability in mind

Victor Renolds and Tonmoy Bhattacharya from La Trobe University showcased the award-winning Mass Casualty Incident branching scenario, which received recognition in the Impactful Gamification category of the H5P Awards.

The paramedic simulation placed students in a realistic emergency scenario involving a chlorine gas leak. It included branching decisions, mini-games, feedback and inclusive character design.

The La Trobe multimedia team shared five principles that guide its work:

• Accessibility

• Quality

• Usability

• Scalability

• Sustainability

The presentation also offered an honest reflection on using generative AI in multimedia production. Different tools were required for different tasks, and experimentation sometimes added time rather than saving it.

The central lesson was that tools will continue to change, but strong design principles remain essential.

Better together: H5P and Articulate Rise

Dolores Turro from Western Sydney University The College demonstrated how H5P interactives were embedded within Articulate Rise modules for a nursing subject.

The approach supported a flipped learning model, allowing students to explore key concepts before attending class. Interactive videos, branching scenarios, sorting activities, image sliders and quizzes helped transform otherwise passive content into more active learning experiences.

The project also showed the value of collaboration between online learning environment designers, learning experience designers and subject matter experts.

Rather than creating everything from scratch, the team was able to reuse and adapt existing H5P content. Ongoing student and teacher feedback then helped inform further improvements.

Matching effort to learning intent

Elizabeth Georgiades from Torrens University Australia challenged the idea that more learning objects automatically lead to better learning.

The session explored the “cost of interactivity” and encouraged learning designers to consider whether the time and effort required to build an activity are proportionate to the intended learning outcome.

A simple image hotspot may be enough to reveal an important gap in students’ digital literacy, while a more complex branching scenario may be justified when students need to practise decision-making or productive failure.

The key question was not how many interactions a course contains, but what each interaction is helping learners do.

Continuing the conversation

H5P Community Day Sydney showed the breadth of ways H5P is being used across higher education, from medical education and paramedic simulations to business strategy, nursing, academic development and AI literacy.

More importantly, the day demonstrated the value of bringing the H5P community together. The strongest ideas came from shared experiences, practical demonstrations and open conversations about what worked, what needed improvement and what could come next.

The H5P community continues to grow through these connections. Educators, designers and developers can join the conversation, ask questions and share their work through the H5P community on Matrix.