Getting started with in-class activities

Step-by-step setup

1. Create an account in the MATCHA Dashboard .
2. Create a course if you have not done so already, then create an activity within that course and select the first suggested activity type: Proctored test or similar timed activity .
3. Review the recommended settings below, making any course-specific adjustments. Normally, you will use the Check-In feature to ensure that only students who are actually in the room can participate in the activity.
4. At the start of the activity, open the activity in MATCHA Proctor and use the Action button to start the activity if it has not already started. MATCHA Proctor is always accessible from the Dashboard.
5. If using Check-In, you have two options to control when students start: you can let them wait for Check-In, or you can use the Start Writing option in the Action menu in MATCHA Proctor. If it will take too long to check in all students, we recommend using Start Writing. You can then check in students using the QR codes at the top-right of their screens. Whichever option you choose, you check in students by clicking the big "Scan QR" button in Proctor and scanning the QR on the student's screen.
6. Important: when checking in a late student, make sure they are checked in from their arrival, not the activity start. Otherwise, you could be allowing a student who worked from outside the room to check in. Normally, a late student's MATCHA should not have received the Start Writing authorization since they were not connected when it was issued, but if they received the access code from someone else and had connected from outside the room, they can be writing before entering the room.
7. When students are done writing, you must check them out before they can submit. Check out uses a QR code on the Submit tab of MATCHA Writer.
8. If you have selected cloud submission in your activity settings, students will submit directly from Writer using the Submit button in the Submit tab. Otherwise, they will be provided an Export button to export to .docx, which they will submit to you in the way you prescribed (normally, by uploading to the LMS). Single-App Mode turns off after check out so it is possible for students to leave MATCHA and upload the file. Exported .docx files bear digital signatures that you can verify (from the Instructor menu in MATCHA Writer), so students cannot modify them. To avoid accidental changes, they are also locked.

Recommended activity settings

• Proctoring: on. This means that someone, either you or another proctor, is available to check students in and intervene in situations such as internet outages .
• Check-in requirement: enabled. This is what allows you to ensure that only students who are physically in the room can write. For low-stakes activities, it might be enough to rely on the access code alone, but the code can be easily communicated to students outside the room.
• Availability, start: manually by proctor. Students can open the activity in advance, but they cannot begin writing or see any attached prompt until a proctor starts the activity. Before then, they see a distinctive green wait screen so proctors can confirm the state of the room at a glance.
• Availability, end. Submissions stop being accepted after this time. Set sufficiently far in the future so that you can accept late submissions. This is mainly used for housekeeping purposes.
• Notes: enabled. Students can use the built-in notes area during the activity.
• Browser: disabled by default. Turn it on only when the activity is open-book or students need web access. If you enable it, make sure the associated browser configuration allowlists the LMS and any other required resources.
• Anonymous submission: disabled. Turn this on only if you do not want student names on cover pages.
• External-Paste Block: enabled. This prevents text from being pasted in from outside MATCHA. It is one of the core controls for reducing AI misuse. If you turn it off, externally pasted text is marked instead.
• Single-App Mode: enabled. This keeps MATCHA fullscreen and discourages switching to other apps, which is usually desirable for in-class assessments.
• Complete Work History: disabled. This more extensive recording mode is mainly useful for unsupervised activities, not typical in-class sessions.
• AI Assistant: usually disabled for exams, optional for writing exercises. If you allow AI help, enable MATCHA's AI assistant at the level that fits the activity: grammar only, grammar and style, or full composition. If you want to help students learn writing mechanics, turn on pedagogical mode. AI-made changes are tracked and reported in the Writing Analysis.

What students experience

Students open the activity, wait on the start screen until you release it, write in MATCHA, get checked in by QR code, and check out before leaving. Depending on your submission setup, they either submit directly from MATCHA or export a certified .docx file for upload.