Timed Interactions With No Way to Extend Time

Why this matters

Some learners need more time to read, process, or physically respond, including learners with cognitive disabilities, motor impairments, or anyone relying on a screen reader, which takes longer to navigate content than sighted mouse use. A fixed timer with no way to extend it can cause a learner to fail or be logged out through no fault of their own, for a reason that has nothing to do with whether they know the material.

Storyline 360 example

A Storyline quiz slide has a 60-second timer per question, set to submit the current answer automatically when it reaches zero. There is no setting exposed to the learner to pause or add time, and no warning before the timer expires.

Rise 360 example

A Rise course quiz uses a timed assessment setting with a fixed time limit for the whole quiz, and no option for a learner to request extra time.

How to fix it

1Identify every timed quiz, timed interaction, and countdown element in the course
2Remove the time limit if it is not essential to what is being tested
3If timing is essential, provide a way to pause, extend, or turn off the timer before it starts
4If the platform truly cannot support that, provide a documented process for learners to request more time outside the course itself
5Warn learners clearly before a timer starts and how much time they will have

Fix in Storyline 360

1Open the slide or quiz's timer trigger settings and check whether a time limit is genuinely necessary for what is being assessed
2If not essential, remove the timer entirely
3If essential, add a control, such as a button with a trigger, that pauses the timer or adds a fixed amount of extra time, and make sure that control itself is keyboard accessible
4Add a slide note or instruction text stating the time limit before the timed section begins

Fix in Rise 360

1Open the quiz block's settings and check whether the timed assessment option is genuinely required
2If it is not required for compliance or certification reasons, turn it off
3If it must stay on, document a way for learners to request extended time, since Rise's quiz settings do not currently expose an in-course way to pause or extend a running timer
4State the time limit clearly in the lesson introduction before the learner reaches the timed quiz

Common questions

Does every timer need to be removed?

No. WCAG 2.2.1 allows timing that is essential, such as a real, unavoidable time-limited event, but most eLearning quiz timers are not actually essential to what is being tested, they are a design choice, and should have a way to pause, extend, or turn them off.

Can Rise pause a running quiz timer?

Not through an in-course learner control today. If a strict time limit is required, that usually means a documented process outside the course, or building the timed interaction in Storyline where a pause or extend control can be added.

How much warning should a learner get before a timer starts?

Enough to make an informed choice before it begins, ideally stating the exact time limit in plain text, not just a visual countdown that starts without notice.