# Activity blocks

> Interactive Activity Blocks are scored lesson activities. Students participate or complete them, usually for points. Insert them from / → Interactive Activity Blocks.

Source: https://www.curacourse.com/help/interactive-activity-blocks

## At a glance

**Interactive Activity Blocks** are scored lesson activities. Students participate or complete them, usually for **points**. Insert them from `/` → **Interactive Activity Blocks**.

Each activity has a header (type label, optional lesson number) and a **Points** value. Rubrics and model solutions stay in **Edit**; students never see them. See [Rubrics & scoring modes](https://www.curacourse.com/help/rubrics) and [Add rubric items](https://www.curacourse.com/help/add-rubric-items-manual-ai-and-code-grading).

**Instant Feedback** is in the same slash group, but it is **not** a scored activity. It lets students **Check Answer** on a bound activity without submitting the lesson.

![CuraCourse screenshot: Interactive Activity Blocks](https://www.curacourse.com/help/featurebase/5f141b4719a33e97648c.png)

## Prerequisites

- Lesson **Edit** mode. See [What are CuraCourse blocks?](https://www.curacourse.com/help/what-are-curacourse-blocks)

## How to insert

1. Type `/` and choose an item under **Interactive Activity Blocks**.
2. Set **Points** on the block header.
3. Mark answers, add choices/items, or attach a rubric as needed.
4. Duplicate or delete from the block `⋯` menu.

Set **Points** to **0** for ungraded practice. It is still an activity, not a content block.

## Quiz and selection

### Multiple Choice Question

Students pick **one** option.

- **Points**; automated check (**All or Nothing** or **Manual Grading**).
- Mark the correct choice; optional per-option feedback.
- **Shuffle Options**; **Add Choice**.

### Multiple Select Question

Students select **all that apply**. Same scoring pattern as multiple choice.

### Fill in the Blank Question

Students fill blanks in the prompt. Blank types: **Text**, **Number**, **Math**, **Dropdown**.

- Autograde against accepted answers.
- Text: ignore case/whitespace; optional single-letter mistake.
- Number/math: numeric tolerance.
- Math compare: **Exact form**, **Equivalent**, **Numeric**, or **Simplified**; optional math keyboard layouts.

### Clickable Activity

Students click the correct words, lines, or table cells.

- Type: **Text**, **Code**, or **Table**.
- Unit: **Words** or **Lines / Sentences**.
- Mark correct items and exclude non-clickable ones. Autogrades the correct set.

## Drag, order, and construct

### Categorize Activity

Students drag items into categories. Items are shuffled for students. Score matches each item to its correct category.

### Ordering Activity

Students put items in the correct order (optional distractors stay in a bank).

- **Vertical** or **Horizontal**.
- Vertical can **Enable indentation** (max indent; optional stacked student zones).
- Score compares order (and indent, if enabled) to your solution.

### Graphing Question

Students construct points, lines, or shapes on a board. Autograded against your solution alternatives (tolerance, ignore extra objects), with an optional manual score.

Modes include number line, coordinate points, lines and segments, circles, curves, full construction, geometry, trig unit circle, and graph functions.

This is **not** **Interactive Graph** (an unscored demo). See [Content blocks](https://www.curacourse.com/help/content-blocks).

![CuraCourse screenshot: Interactive Activity Blocks](https://www.curacourse.com/help/featurebase/4311a88a690260c451d8.png)

## Written, upload, and conversation

### Open Response Question

Students write a free-form answer. Score with a rubric: **Manual Score**, **AI Grading**, or **Webhook Grading**.

Essay settings include placeholder, **Disable Paste**, and word count.

### File Upload Activity

Students upload files (multi-file, size limits). Score with an authored rubric (typically manual or AI).

### AI Chat Activity

Students complete a guided conversation (optional attachments).

- Mode: **AI-powered**, **Simulated**, or **Hybrid**.
- **Participation** points after a minimum number of student messages; optional keyword / follow-up / format **objectives**; optional rubric.
- System prompt, simulated pairs, message limit, attachments, and guardrails (safety / topic / blocked phrases) are author-only.

## Code

### Code Editor

Students edit and run code in a cloud sandbox. Score with **Code Grading**, **Manual Score**, and/or **AI Grading**, plus optional model solutions.

Settings include environment, vertical layout, **Disable Paste**, read-only or hidden files, lock file tree, and output layout (Result / Preview / Terminal).

Shared course library files: [Course blocks: code editor library](https://www.curacourse.com/help/course-blocks-code-editor-library).

### Code Tracing Activity

Students read **read-only** code and predict program output and variable values. Autogrades against expected output and vars (*ignore case / whitespace*).

This is **not** **Python Tutor Embed** (content).

## Instant Feedback

**Instant Feedback** lives in the Interactive Activity Blocks menu, but it has **no points** and is **not** numbered. It does not submit the lesson and does not add to the gradebook.

Use it so students can **Check Answer** on a bound activity while they work.

### Bind an activity

1. Insert the activity students should practice (and add an autogradable path — built-in checks, or **Code Grading** / **AI Grading** / webhook rubric items).
2. Insert **Instant Feedback** nearby.
3. Set **Bind to activity rubric** to that activity’s autogradable rubric group.

A rubric group can be bound to **only one** Instant Feedback block (the picker marks others as **claimed**). Manual-only groups do not appear. If you delete the bound activity or group, the block shows **No longer connected**.

Built-in checks (no extra rubric required) cover Multiple Choice, Multiple Select, Fill in the Blank, Categorize, Ordering, Clickable, Code Tracing, AI Chat, and Graphing Question. Open Response, File Upload, and Code Editor need an autogradable rubric item first.

### Settings

- **Limit Number of Checks** — cap how many times a student can check.
- **Cooldown Between Checks (sec)** — wait between checks. If you turn cooldown off, a short minimum wait still applies to prevent abuse.
- **Show feedback even if scores are hidden** — students see correctness and feedback without numeric points.

Students click **Check Answer** on the bound activity. That is formative only. Lesson submission and [Lightning Grader](https://www.curacourse.com/help/grade-a-lesson-with-lightning-grader) are separate.

![CuraCourse screenshot: Interactive Activity Blocks](https://www.curacourse.com/help/featurebase/0b3f9e54d94065dbc333.png)

## Common gotchas

- **Code Block** (content) vs **Code Editor** (scored sandbox).
- **Interactive Graph** (content) vs **Graphing Question** (scored).
- **Python Tutor Embed** (content) vs **Code Tracing Activity** (scored predict-the-output).
- **Instant Feedback** is not a submission and awards no points of its own.
- **Points** = 0 is still an activity (practice).
- Rubrics and model solutions are author-only; students never see them.

## Next steps

- [What are CuraCourse blocks?](https://www.curacourse.com/help/what-are-curacourse-blocks)
- [Content blocks](https://www.curacourse.com/help/content-blocks)
- [Rubrics & scoring modes](https://www.curacourse.com/help/rubrics)
- [Add rubric items (manual, AI, and code grading)](https://www.curacourse.com/help/add-rubric-items-manual-ai-and-code-grading)
- [Grade a lesson with Lightning Grader](https://www.curacourse.com/help/grade-a-lesson-with-lightning-grader)