The Activity Record has been upgraded to make assessments simpler for everyone. Questions are now easier to build, learners get a cleaner view, and the system helps make sure nothing is missed before a record is submitted or marked.
This article explains what's changed, in plain terms, for content designers, learners and assessors.
Watch the walkthrough with Miles Aravindhan, Head of Professional Services
The big idea
Everything starts in the Content Designer. Each question is now built as a single question block that contains everything that question needs, including a marking outcome (satisfactory or not satisfactory).
That marking outcome is what powers the new features for learners and assessors. If a question has one, the system can guide and check the work. If it doesn't, those checks won't apply.
For content designers
What's a question block?
Previously, one question could need up to four separate fields: the question, assessor feedback, a marking outcome and a hidden model answer.
Now, one block holds it all:
Question: what you're asking the learner
Student response: where the learner answers
Marking outcome: included automatically
Model answer (optional): add it from the options on the right. It's hidden from learners automatically, so you no longer need to hide it yourself
Assessor feedback (optional): add it from the options on the right
Multi-part questions
Each part of a question needs its own marking outcome. This lets the system check each part separately.
Auto-marked questions
Auto-marked questions (like single choice and multiple choice) work the same way, with the marking outcome built in. They don't have a model answer field, because the correct answer is set when you build the question.
Tip: If a question has more than one correct answer, update the minimum number of correct answers. It defaults to one. The system will prompt you if you haven't selected enough correct answers.
Do I have to update my existing activities?
No. Existing activities still work as they are. However, they won't get the new checks until they're updated to the question block structure, so we recommend updating them when you can.
For learners
A cleaner assessment
Fields that aren't used stay hidden. For example, feedback only appears if your assessor has left some. This means less scrolling and a tidier assessment.
Resubmitting an assessment
If you're on a second or later attempt:
Answers marked satisfactory are locked. You can't edit them, because they're already done.
Answers marked not satisfactory must be changed. You can't resubmit the same response. The system doesn't grade your new answer, it just checks that it's different.
A navigator takes you to what needs attention, so you can jump between questions that need updating. This is especially handy in large assessments.
The Submit button stays hidden until every required answer has been updated.
Learner can't submit? The first thing to check is whether they've updated every response the system is asking for. Once they have, the Submit button will appear.
For assessors
The marking experience is very similar to before, with a few helpful additions:
Model answers are visible to you while you mark, even though learners can't see them.
Your previous feedback and grades are shown on later attempts.
A coloured bar highlights questions marked not satisfactory, so you can review them and either change the outcome or leave it as is. A count on the right shows how many need attention on each page.
You can't finalise a record with missing outcomes. If any marking outcome hasn't been set, you'll see a message asking you to review it, and saving will take you back to the question that needs attention.
AI Marking Assistant
The new Activity Record also supports the AI Marking Assistant. When it's enabled on an activity, it fits into the question block and can:
Generate feedback, which you can edit before sending
Suggest a grade, which you can accept or change
The AI never grades on its own. The assessor always makes the final decision.
Quick summary
Who | What's changed |
Content designers | Each question is one block with a built-in marking outcome. Model answers hide automatically. |
Learners | Cleaner assessments. Satisfactory answers lock, not satisfactory answers must be changed before resubmitting. |
Assessors | Model answers visible, highlights on questions to review, and every outcome must be set before finalising. |
Need help?
Contact your Customer Success Manager or email help@cloudassess.com.