To create an interactive training module, start with a real task learners need to perform, build practice and feedback around that task, then test the complete learner experience before release. This workflow is for course creators, coaches, academies, and training teams; Genially is the documented authoring example.
An interactive module asks learners to make a decision, apply information, or respond, then gives them a useful result. A clickable reveal by itself is not proof of skill. The goal is to make the learner’s action match the performance you want to improve.
What you need before you build
Gather the learner audience, a reliable description of the task or policy, and permission to use any source material. Decide where learners will open the module and whether you need restricted access or individual response data. Those optional Genially features have premium requirements; public-link delivery does not require an LMS or a learner account.
If the module is part of a larger paid course, keep authoring separate from course architecture, checkout, and enrollment. For broader planning, see how to plan an online course curriculum and how to sell online courses.
Plan the learning before opening the editor
1. Identify the performance gap and audience
Compare expected performance with what learners currently do, and check whether a knowledge or skill gap is actually the cause. Identify learner roles, prior knowledge, devices, accessibility needs, and working conditions. Ask a subject-matter expert to map the task’s real steps. This keeps you from building training for a problem that training cannot address.
2. Set an observable objective and matching assessment
Write what the learner will do, under what conditions, and what counts as acceptable performance. Make the assessment test that action, not unrelated recall. For example, replace “understand the escalation policy” with an objective such as selecting the correct next action in a defined support situation. The organization’s actual policy must determine the answer key.
3. Storyboard the learner’s action, feedback, and next page
Before authoring, outline each page, the learner’s choice, the consequence or feedback, and the next destination. Match format to skill: scenarios practice judgment, sorting practices classification, a guided sequence supports a process, and a quiz checks responses. A checklist can mark task progress, but completion alone does not demonstrate correct performance.
Illustrative scenario: a customer-support module presents an upset customer and asks the learner to choose the next response. One choice leads to an explanation of why the organization’s verified rule calls for escalation; another explains the risk of making a promise the company cannot support. A final true-or-false question checks that rule. This is a design example, not a claim about any particular company policy.
Build the module in Genially
The following steps describe a documented Genially workflow. The editor saves changes automatically, but saving a draft and publishing it for learners are separate actions.
4. Create a canvas from a template or blank creation
Select Create genially, then browse or search templates, or choose Blank creation. For a blank creation, use the template dimensions or enter a height and width, then select Create. Inspect a template’s existing pages and interactions before replacing its content so that an inherited activity does not conflict with your learning objective.
5. Add and name the destination pages
Open Pages in the left sidebar and select +Add page for each storyboard destination. List is the default view; Grid gives an overview, and you can drag pages to reorder them. Double-click a page title to name it before creating links. Clear destination names make it easier to choose the correct branch later.
6. Add explanations and choice text
Open Text in the left sidebar, select a text box, write the content, and drag the box into position. Text sets provide grouped layouts; select an individual box to edit its wording. Pasted text takes on the destination box’s formatting, so check its appearance after pasting. Add audio or video only if it serves the objective. The editor saves changes automatically.
7. Link each practice choice to its consequence page
Select an answer element, choose its Interactivity icon, and select Go to page. Choose the destination under Pages or a shortcut under Actions, then select Save. Repeat for each answer and add the return or continuation controls needed to keep the learner moving. In microsite mode, pagination is disabled, so a missing page link can leave learners unable to progress beyond the first page.
8. Add a question that checks the target action
For the documented true-or-false workflow, open Interactive questions and select True or false. Enter the statement under Question and select the correct option under Responses. Use a subject-matter expert’s verified rule for the answer key. This procedure describes the documented question type and does not assume identical answer controls for other question formats.
9. Set explanatory feedback and retry behavior
Select the question, open Actions, and enable the post-response message. Write separate explanations for correct and incorrect answers; add an action after responding or according to the result when the learner needs a different next page. Under Interactive questions → Question settings, choose result visibility and repetition behavior. These settings apply to all questions in the creation. For true-or-false questions, an enabled submit button waits for a separate submission; without it, selecting an answer submits automatically.
10. Check the module’s accessibility
Use Text Accessibility to review heading hierarchy and the Accessibility menu to arrange reading order. Add descriptions for meaningful visual or linked content, provide transcripts for spoken information, and check keyboard navigation and the assistive technologies your audience uses. These are design checks for your authored module; platform capabilities do not certify every module or establish legal compliance.
11. Pilot the full learner path
Open Preview and test interactions, transitions, and device presentations. Ask representative learners and a subject-matter expert to complete the module. Check for confusing language, incorrect destinations, unreadable text, missing feedback, and whether learners can demonstrate the objective. Revise problems before publication rather than relying on a creator’s view of the draft.
12. Publish with the intended access settings
Select Publish and choose the intended availability. Free-account creations are visible in search engines by default; premium-account creations are hidden from search by default. Search hiding is not restricted access. Password protection and access limited to invited people are separate premium controls, and invited viewers may need to use the Genially account associated with their invitation. For later edits, use Publish Changes when the revised version is ready; autosave alone does not make those edits live.
13. Test the learner link without editor access
In the editor, open Share in the top-right corner and select Copy link. Open the published View link without editor privileges and complete every branch and the assessment. If access is restricted, test with an invited account. This catches permission problems and broken paths that Preview alone may not reveal.
14. Choose LMS delivery and tracking only if you need them
A public link can deliver a module without an LMS. If an LMS is required, Genially documents SCORM 1.2, LTI 1.3, and iframe delivery; check the chosen platform’s requirements before selecting a format. Its tracking presets serve different purposes: Access records viewing and can automatically mark completion with a 100% score, Progress records completion progress and resumption, Scores supports score-based completion, and Questions sends question responses for reporting. An iframe display alone does not establish gradebook tracking. An automatic Access score is not evidence that a learner answered correctly.
15. Review performance and revise deliberately
Compare learner responses and feedback with the objective, then revise and retest the released paths. Individual response collection requires an eligible premium plan and enabled Individual Activity; offline question interaction does not collect response data. Keep a separate record of assessment versions when historical comparisons matter. Editing a question can overwrite earlier wording in individual activity reports, and deleting questions can affect results.
Mistakes that can undermine the module
- Adding clicks without practice: a reveal, page visit, or completed checklist can expose material without showing that the learner can perform the task. Assess the action named in the objective.
- Treating an interactive PDF as equivalent to the browser module: PDF links and page navigation can remain, but Genially interactive questions become static images in PDF, JPG, and MP4 exports.
- Confusing progress with mastery: moving through pages or receiving an automatic completion score does not show that a learner chose the correct response.
Verify success before and after release
A working release has a learner-accessible link, correct branch destinations, usable navigation, and visible feedback. A learning-success check is separate: compare responses or job performance with the objective and review learner feedback. Completion metrics show a learner moved through the experience; they are not interchangeable with evidence of correct performance.
Quick release check
- The objective describes an action a learner can demonstrate.
- Each practice choice has the intended consequence, feedback, and next step.
- The learner link, accessibility, and chosen delivery format have been checked for the intended audience.
- The tracking method measures the result you intend to evaluate, and revised questions retain separate version context when needed.
