What if a chemistry textbook could give students a chance to practice as they learn?
Kayli Johnson, Associate Professor of Teaching in the University of British Columbia's Chemistry Department, helped create an online textbook for a first-year course that combines thermodynamics and organic chemistry. With H5P, it includes interactive questions and videos that give students quick ways to check their understanding and build on what they’ve learned.
More than 1,000 students responded to a survey about the textbook, and the H5P activities received the highest ratings among its components. Johnson, an H5P super user and Champion, says the tool also gives her room to get creative in her teaching.
Johnson and her colleague Simon Lolliot are H5P Award winners, recognized in 2025 for Impressive Use of Multimedia and in 2026 for Outstanding Visual Design. They also host an H5P symposium to help other educators explore the tool. Explore the 2025 and 2026 H5P Awards.
Key takeaways:
- Tailoring an online textbook to a course that combines two chemistry topics
- Adding interactive questions and videos with H5P
- Using student feedback to understand which course activities resonated
“H5P lets me get creative and that's my favorite part of my job.” — Kayli Johnson