/matlab-create-course-activity

name: matlab-create-course-activity
description: Create MATLAB Course Designer MATLAB Exercise learning activities by wrapping the existing matlab-generate-grader-assessments skill, then validating generated solution.m, template.m, and tests.m files with MATLAB MCP Server tool calls. Use when the user asks to create a MATLAB Exercise, MATLAB course activity, Course Designer MATLAB activity, validated MATLAB solution file, or MATLAB Exercise component folder.
license: https://www.mathworks.com/content/dam/mathworks/license/pmrl/license.md
metadata:
  author: MathWorks
  version: "1.0"

MATLAB Course Activity Generator

Create MATLAB Course Designer-ready MATLAB Exercise learning activities. This skill is a wrapper around the existing `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` skill: use `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` first to create the shared MATLAB Grader-style component parts, then use MATLAB MCP Server tool calls to validate the generated MATLAB files and add Course Designer authoring metadata.

Input

The user may have provided a module objective or activity idea in their request. If it is missing or too vague, collect missing activity inputs in Step 1.

Reference Files

Read these references from the `references/` directory as needed:

• `references/grader-wrapper-workflow.md` — how to call and use `matlab-generate-grader-assessments`
• `references/matlab-validation-rules.md` — MATLAB MCP validation workflow
• `references/course-designer-artifacts.md` — output folder and metadata rules

Read `references/grader-wrapper-workflow.md` and `references/course-designer-artifacts.md` before creating artifacts.

Required Tooling

Use the existing `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` skill for the initial component generation. Use MATLAB MCP Server calls for validation:

• `detect_matlab_toolboxes` for product/toolbox availability
• `check_matlab_code` for static analysis of `.m` files
• `run_matlab_file` for runnable scripts, validation drivers, or test harnesses
• `evaluate_matlab_code` for targeted checks, path setup, function calls, and

MATLAB Exercise test smoke checks

Do not claim a MATLAB Exercise is ready unless the generated MATLAB files have been checked through MATLAB MCP calls or the final output clearly marks validation as partial.

Pipeline Overview

Step 1: Collect activity inputs and Course Designer placement
Step 2: Invoke grader for shared MATLAB Exercise component parts
Step 3: Split description.txt into background.m and task.m
Step 4: Add Course Designer-only authoring fields
Step 5: Validate solution.m, template.m, and tests.m with MATLAB MCP calls
Step 6: Write Course Designer-ready activity metadata and review notes

Step 1: Activity Inputs

Collect only missing information:

• Course title or course identifier
• Module title and module order
• Learning activity title and activity order
• Module objective and observable learner outcome
• MATLAB concept: script, function, class, object usage, data analysis,

visualization, numerical methods, app workflow, or another domain

• Assessment purpose: formative, summative, or both
• Required MATLAB and toolbox products
• Starter/template expectations
• Solution behavior
• Validation requirements
• Output directory

Default to a Course Designer learning activity type of `MATLAB Exercise`.

Step 2: Invoke `matlab-generate-grader-assessments`

Use `references/grader-wrapper-workflow.md`.

Call or prompt the existing `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` skill before creating Course Designer metadata. The expected `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` output is:

• `description.txt`
• `template.m`
• `solution.m`
• `tests.m`
• `function_call.m` (Function assessment items)
• `supporting_class.m` (Object usage assessment items)

Store the `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` output under:

grader-items/module-NN-activity-MM-[slug]/

`[slug]` is the assessment item's snake_case title with underscores replaced by hyphens. This wrapper placement overrides the generator's standalone `{snake_title}/` folder rule.

Do not hand-write these files first. If `matlab-generate-grader-assessments` is unavailable, stop and report that MATLAB Exercise generation is blocked unless the user explicitly accepts a planning-only fallback.

Step 3: Split Description for Course Designer

Create two plaintext `.m` files from `description.txt` for copy/paste into the MATLAB Course Designer web application:

Per the MATLAB Course Designer documentation for creating MATLAB Exercises: https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab-and-simulink-online-courses/ug/create-matlab-exercise-using-matlab-course-designer.html

• The Background field sets the context for the task, explains the learning

objective, and provides high-level information learners need to complete the task.

• The Task field provides the instructions learners follow to complete the

task, including specific instructions such as which functions or variable names to use.

Treat `background.m` and `task.m` as plain-text field transport files, not executable MATLAB scripts. Preserve the text exactly as it should be pasted into Course Designer. Do not prefix prose with `%` solely to make the files valid MATLAB code.

Split workflow:

1. Read `description.txt` once and mark each paragraph as context, objective, prerequisite, instruction, deliverable, constraint, self-check, or grading detail. 2. Put only context, purpose, learning objective, and necessary high-level prerequisite information in `background.m`. 3. Put concrete learner instructions, ordered task steps, deliverables, required variable/function/file names, constraints, expected outputs, and self-check prompts in `task.m`. 4. Move implementation details out of `background.m` and into `task.m`. 5. Move broad conceptual exposition out of `task.m` unless it is needed to understand a specific instruction. 6. If `description.txt` has no clear boundary, create a concise backgroun