turning off timelines

Hi, Carolyn, and welcome to the community! 

One option to consider would be to turn off the seekbar as described in this thread, or you could also Restrict or Lock Navigation throughout your course as outlined below:

You can restrict or lock navigation in an Articulate Storyline course to prevent learners from skipping ahead without actually finishing the content. Here's how:

1. Go to the Home tab on the Storyline ribbon and click Player.
2. When the Player Properties window appears, click Menu on the ribbon.
3. Click the gear icon at the bottom of the window for additional options.
4. When the Menu Options window appears, choose Restricted or Locked from the Navigation Restriction drop-down.
5. Click OK twice to accept your change.

Here's the difference between restricted and locked navigation:

• Restricted navigation means learners can view the current slide and any slide they've previously viewed, but they can't jump ahead or skip over slides.
• Locked navigation means learners can only view slides in the order you've designed. They can't jump ahead or skip over slides, nor can they go back to any previously viewed slides.