H5P Branching Scenario - Choose Your Own Adventure

Close up image of a Commodore 64 keyboard with only half visible

If, like me, you grew up reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, or typing commands into your Commodore 64 in The Cave of Time, the H5P Branching Scenario might feel quite nostalgic. 

In terms of learning design, H5P Branching Scenario is your individually-authored map that lets learners make choices. Instead of dragons behind doors, there are quizzes, videos, or feedback loops - although you could absolutely put a dragon in, if it fits with your teaching subject. 

What is H5P Branching Scenario? 

The Branching Scenario is a content type in H5P that lets authors build interactive, choice-driven paths. Learners make their way through a "tree" of content nodes, making decisions that lead them down different branches, to different feedback, and to different endings. 

Some key features: 

• You can embed other H5P content types inside each node (text, images, image hotspots, video, interactive video, course presentation)
• You can assign scoring per ending, or accumulate points along paths
• There is no fixed limit on the number of branches or endings (within reason - your brain might get tired)
• The authoring tool allows you to see and manage the tree of content (i.e. how nodes link) visually.

As H5P is integrated into QMplus, content types are easy to create, share and re-use with both staff and students. 

Why Use Branching Scenarios? 

Branching Scenarios offer several advantages: 

1. Active decision-making: instead of passively consuming content, learners do. They consider options, decide, and see consequences. It can be argued that this is more memorable than making your way through linear slides. 
2. Adaptive storytelling: you can tailor feedback or content based on the learner's choice. Good choice? Reward. Bad choice? Feedback and extra support. The same scaffolding applies without needing lots of linear versions. 
3. Error-based learning: learners can make mistakes in a safe environment, see what goes wrong, and try again (or get feedback). The branching structure supports "failure paths" neatly rather than hiding them. 
4. Personalised paths: because you can branch off to content in many places, learners can skip things they already know (or dive deeper where they might perceive they're weaker). 
5. Extra engagement: giving learners a feeling of being 'in charge' potentially increases engagement. 

I also found the Branching Scenario to be a good alternative to the QMplus (Moodle) Lesson tool. In the same way as the Moodle Lesson, you can send learners to different pages (nodes) depending on how they answer. 

Tips

Creating a Branching Scenario is fun until your "tree" becomes a wild, tangled mess. Here are some tips to keep things tidy: 

Here is an example of a Branching Scenario. This one is not video or dilemma based - it utilises the H5P Course Presentation type with the scenario, and lets learners choose what content they want to see next. 

Final Thoughts

If you've ever wanted to build your own Choose Your Own Adventure but for more learning based purposes, the Branching Scenario might be what you're looking for. It provides more of a journey for your learners, with decision-making and scaffolded feedback. As mentioned, it takes initial planning and a bit of cartography, but the payoff is likely to be that learners are engaged, and clarifying their understanding actively. 

For more H5P examples, and to learn about other H5P content types, have a look at the Examples page on the H5P.org website. Or why not find out how others at QMUL are using H5P by reading this Using H5P for Interactive Presentations article.