FAQ: Catapult Trainer Assistant

Below are some frequently asked questions about the Catapult Trainer Assistant. If you have a question that isn't addressed below, please feel free to send an email to support@catapult-elearning.com. You may also wish to review the short video on the Catapult Trainer Assistant in our Video Library (direct link here).

How does the Catapult Trainer Assistant work?

The Catapult Trainer Assistant comprises of two separate but related functions; the Trainer Assistant itself, and the Plagiarism detector;

The Trainer Assistant uses AI to compare the student's provided response against the content of the suggested answers. It checks whether the student has addressed key points, used suitable language, and provides a rough percentage score out of 100% based on various factors. It also, where necessary, provides some recommendations on how the student can improve their score.

The Plagiarism detector uses AI to estimate whether the provided content is likely to be written by a human, generated by an AI tool / language model, or even simply plagiarised from somewhere on the internet. In the event that plagiarism is detected, direct links to the plagiarised content will be provided.

Note that both of these tools are powered by artificial intelligence and therefore shouldn't be relied upon as a substitute for professional experience.

How big does an answer have to be for the Catapult Trainer Assistant to work?

Generally speaking, the longer a student's response is, the more accurate the Trainer Assistant's advice will be. The Trainer Assistant will be best used on projects and longer essay-style questions.

As for the plagiarism detector, it is important to note that a student response must be more than 300 characters in order to be checked for plagiarism. Any responses shorter than this will not be able to be analysed using the plagiarism detector.

What kind of questions does the Catapult Trainer Assistant work with?

The Catapult Trainer Assistant is primarily intended to work with "essay"-style questions (including "table" questions). It does not work with question types associated with auto-marking (e.g. multiple choice, true-false, etc) and it does not work with Observation-style assessments.

Does the Catapult Trainer Assistant work on customised units?

Yes! As long as your customised questions are "essay"-style and feature a suggested answer, the Catapult Trainer Assistant can use that suggested answer in comparisons with responses provided by students.

Can the Catapult Trainer Assistant evaluate uploaded files?

No, both the Trainer Assistant and plagiarism detector functions can only review text responses saved directly into the system. Uploaded files cannot be evaluated using this feature.

Can the Catapult Trainer Assistant be used by other user types (e.g. Admin or Learner)?

No, the Trainer Assistant is designed to only be accessible to Trainers during the marking process. Admins can technically access the Trainer Assistant at this time by assuming the login of the Trainer, but Learners can never access this functionality.

How does the Catapult Trainer Assistant work across multiple submissions?

The Catapult Trainer Assistant and Plagiarism detector records for a submission are only accessible while that submission is being graded. As soon as the submission is finalised (either by returning the enrolment to the learner or providing a finalised grade) the Trainer Assistant and its provided advice will no longer be accessible. If a new submission is then made in the future, the Trainer Assistant can be used to provide advice for the new responses, but the advice provided for the previous responses will not be shown.

How much does the Catapult Trainer Assistant cost?

For all queries related to pricing and sales, please send an email to support@catapult-elearning.com so we can put you in touch with our sales team.