---
title: Video Seeking Behavior
description: "This article explains how **video seeking behavior** works in the Video Lesson Activity, including **per-activity controls**, **global admin overrides**, and how seeking interacts with **watch percentage and completion rules**. ### What is seeking behavior? **Seeking behavior** controls whether **students** can…"
url: "https://www.mooplugins.com/docs/video-lesson-activity/core-concepts/video-seeking-behavior/"
updated: "2025-12-18"
category: Video Lesson Activity / Core Concepts
---

# Video Seeking Behavior

This article explains how **video seeking behavior** works in the Video Lesson Activity, including **per-activity controls**, **global admin overrides**, and how seeking interacts with **watch percentage and completion rules**.

### What is seeking behavior?

**Seeking behavior** controls whether **students** can move forward or backward in a video using the timeline (scrubbing).

By default, most video players allow free seeking. The Video Lesson Activity allows you to restrict or control this behavior to ensure videos are watched in the intended sequence.

### Where seeking behavior is configured

Seeking behavior can be controlled at two levels:

- **Per activity**, configured by teachers while creating or editing a Video Lesson
- **Globally**, configured by administrators in the Video Lesson global settings

Global settings can override activity-level settings depending on how they are configured.

### Seeking behavior options (per activity)

These options are available when editing a **Video Lesson activity**.

#### Allow seeking

**Behavior:**

- Students can freely skip forward and backward
- Timeline scrubbing is fully enabled

**Use this when:**

- The video is optional or reference-based
- Students are revisiting known material
- Skipping content is acceptable

#### Disable seeking

**Behavior:**

- All seeking is disabled
- Students must watch the video linearly from start to end
- Forward and backward scrubbing are blocked

**Use this when:**

- The video contains mandatory content
- Sequential viewing is required
- The lesson is compliance- or certification-oriented

#### Disable seeking forward, allow rewind

**Behavior:**

- Students cannot skip ahead
- Students can rewind and rewatch earlier sections
- Forward scrubbing is blocked

**Use this when:**

- You want to prevent skipping
- Students need the ability to review earlier content
- The video builds progressively

### Global override: Enforce seeking behavior site-wide

Administrators can override activity-level seeking behavior using the global setting **Select seeking behavior**.

Available options include:

- Do not override (use activity setting)
- Allow seek
- Disable seek
- Disable seeking forward, allow rewind

If set to anything other than *Do not override*, the selected behavior is enforced across all Video Lesson activities and teachers cannot override it at the activity level.

This is useful when a site requires consistent enforcement across courses.

### Automatic seek disabling based on completion percentage

The Video Lesson Activity includes an automatic enforcement mechanism tied to completion rules.

When the global **completion threshold to force disable seek** is configured:

- If a Video Lesson activity requires a watch percentage equal to or higher than the threshold
- Seeking is automatically disabled for that activity, even if seeking is otherwise allowed

Example:

- Global threshold: 70%
- Activity requires 85% watch
- Result: Seeking is automatically disabled

To disable this behavior completely, the threshold can be set to **0%**.

### How seeking behavior affects watch percentage

Seeking behavior directly affects how **watch percentage** is accumulated:

- Skipping forward does not increase watch percentage
- Rewatching already viewed sections does not inflate progress
- Watch percentage increases only through actual playback

Disabling forward seeking ensures students cannot bypass required content to reach completion.

### Disable playback speed control (global override)

Administrators can enable a global option to disable playback speed control.

When enabled:

- Students cannot change playback speed (for example, 1.25× or 2×)
- This applies site-wide, regardless of activity-level settings

This is recommended for compliance training, timed instruction, or content where pacing matters.

### Recommended configurations

#### Compliance or certification training

- Global seek override: Disable seek
- Completion threshold to force disable seek: 70% or higher
- Disable playback speed control: Enabled
- Disable Picture-in-Picture: Enabled
- Completion rule: Require watch percentage

#### Structured learning (guided but flexible)

- Global seek override: Do not override
- Activity seek setting: Disable seeking forward, allow rewind
- Completion threshold enforcement: Optional

#### Optional or reference videos

- Global seek override: Do not override
- Activity seek setting: Allow seeking
- Completion enforcement: Optional

### Important notes

- Global settings define defaults for new activities and may enforce site-wide behavior
- Some global settings override teacher-configured activity settings
- External video sources may have provider-level limitations
- Enforcement occurs at the video player level, not Moodle core

### Summary

Video seeking behavior in the Video Lesson Activity is controlled through a combination of **activity-level settings**, **global admin rules**, and **completion logic**.

This layered approach allows Moodle sites to balance flexibility for teachers with enforcement for administrators, while ensuring students engage with video content as intended.