Every institution organizes community engagement differently. Some campuses align activities to strategic plans. Others emphasize accreditation, student learning, community partnerships, or legislative reporting. Many have institution-specific terminology that doesn't neatly fit within a standardized data model.

Custom Fields allow Collaboratory administrators to tailor the Activity form to meet those needs while preserving the integrity of historical data and reporting. Custom Fields provide campuses with the flexibility to:

Whether you're making a few small adjustments or redesigning your entire dataset, successful implementations begin with thoughtful planning.

Navigate to the Custom Fields administrator interface by selecting Settings in the left-hand navigation panel, and then the Managed Fields tab.

One of the biggest advantages of Custom Fields is flexibility, but flexibility also introduces decisions. Every field you create, remove, or modify affects:

The strongest datasets collect only the information that will actually be used. Adding unnecessary questions increases form fatigue, reduces completion rates, and creates additional maintenance for administrators without improving reporting.

Before making changes to your Collaboratory Activity form, gather the appropriate stakeholders and work through the following planning process.

Begin by identifying what your institution wants its data to accomplish. Rather than immediately discussing fields, start with reporting needs and institutional priorities. Questions to guide discussion include:

Before creating new fields, review the standard Activity form and determine whether your existing dataset already meets your institution's needs. Evaluate each field to decide whether it should:

As you review each field, identify any remaining gaps by asking:

In many cases, modifying an existing field provides the desired outcome without creating a new one.

Once you've refined your existing dataset, identify any information that still cannot be collected using the standard Activity form. These gaps often become excellent candidates for Custom Fields. Common examples include:

Custom Fields support two complementary types of Activity form customization:

The table below summarizes the customization options currently available.

Some core system fields remain protected because they support essential Collaboratory functionality and reporting. These fields cannot be customized:

The Manage Fields dashboard is the central workspace for configuring and managing your institution's Activity form. Accessible from Settings > Manage Fields, this dashboard brings all Activity form customization tools together in one place.

From the Manage Fields dashboard, administrators can:

The Manage Fields dashboard includes several new controls and field settings that determine how information is collected, displayed, and reported throughout Collaboratory. The highlighted section below introduces these configuration options.

The Order column controls where a data field appears within an Activity form step. Administrators can reorder fields by either updating the display order number or dragging and dropping the field using the drag handle (⋮⋮).

The Field Name is the question or prompt users see when completing an Activity. It represents the label displayed on the Activity form and should clearly communicate the information being requested.

The Field Type defines the type of information a data field accepts. Also referred to as the Answer Format, it determines how Collaboratory stores and validates responses to ensure consistent, high-quality data. Available field types include:

As your dataset evolves, some fields may no longer be useful. Rather than deleting these fields, Collaboratory allows administrators to archive them, preserving historical information while simplifying future data collection. The starting condition of the Managed Fields dashboard displays current Active data fields, those which are currently visible on the Activity form. Clicking into the Status drop-down allows administrators to designate individual data fields as Active or Archived.

To see Archived data fields, or both Active and Archived data fields, click into the Status drop-down above the Activity form steps to change the view.

Archiving is the recommended option whenever a field already has collected data but it is no longer necessary to collect data for, or display on the Activity form. Archived fields:

Administrators can determine whether a question must be answered before an Activity can be submitted. This decision should reflect the importance of the information to institutional reporting rather than a desire to collect as much information as possible.

Use Required only for information that is essential for reporting, accreditation, compliance, or institutional processes. Fields that provide helpful context, but are not necessary for every Activity, are often better suited as Optional.

Each field can also be designated as Public or Private. This setting determines whether the information appears on the public Activity page. Public fields help communicate your institution's impact to external audiences. Private fields allow administrators to collect information that supports internal workflows without displaying it publicly. Examples of information commonly marked as Private include:

Administrators can choose whether new or existing fields generate an automatic visualization within the Administrative Reports Dashboard. When enabled, a dashboard tile that summarizes responses for that field is present in the Administrator reports, making it easier to identify trends and analyze data at a glance.

In general, dashboard tiles are most valuable for fields with standardized responses that can be easily grouped into categories. Fields that collect narrative or highly variable responses are typically better left without a specific dashboard tile.

The State column provides quick visual indicators about each data field's current configuration and whether there are any restrictions on editing it.

Collaboratory administrators can manage existing data fields and modify the Activity form within the Managed Fields dashboard. Navigate to the Custom Fields administrator interface by selecting Settings in the left-hand navigation panel, and then the Managed Fields tab.

The Managed Fields dashboard displays every Activity form step and every data field currently associated with that step.

One of the most valuable capabilities of Custom Fields is the ability to modify and refine your existing dataset without starting from scratch. As your institution's priorities evolve, you may find that some questions should appear earlier in the Activity form, others are no longer required, or certain information should be collected privately rather than displayed publicly. Most changes to existing fields do not affect historical data. Instead, they influence how future activities are entered while preserving information already collected. From the Manage Fields page, administrators can:

To rename Activity form steps:

Many standard data fields can be renamed to better reflect your institution's terminology. Renaming fields allows institutions to adopt language that is familiar to faculty, staff, and students without changing how information is stored. For example:

To rename existing data fields:

Alternatively, you can rename a data field within the Edit Custom Field modal:

The order of questions within the Activity form has a significant impact on the user experience. Grouping related questions together and presenting information in a logical sequence helps users complete Activities more efficiently while improving data quality. Administrators can:

For example, an institution may choose to:

To move a data field to a different Activity form step:

Administrators can reorder fields by either updating the display order number or dragging and dropping the field using the drag handle (⋮⋮). Collaboratory automatically adjusts the remaining field order when changes are made.

Most data fields can be configured as either Required or Optional, determining whether users must provide a response before submitting an Activity. This setting should reflect the importance of the information to your institution's reporting and business processes, while balancing the overall user experience.

As a general guideline, require only the information that is essential for institutional reporting or operational needs. Additional context that may not apply to every Activity is often better collected as an optional field. The table below summarizes when each option is most appropriate.

To update a field's requirement status, toggle the Required setting directly from the Managed Fields dashboard or open the field's Edit module. Make sure to select "Save" after editing within the pop-out module.

Most data fields can be configured as either Public or Private, determining whether responses are displayed on public, published Activity pages. This setting should reflect how the information will be used, balancing institutional storytelling with internal data management.

As a general guideline, make fields Public when the information helps communicate your institution's impact to external audiences, such as community partners, students, or the general public. Use Private for administrative, assessment, or other internal information that supports reporting but is not intended for public display. The table below summarizes when each option is most appropriate.

To update a field's Public setting, toggle the Public switch directly from the Managed Fields dashboard or open the field's Edit module to make additional changes. If editing within the pop-out module, be sure to select Save to apply your changes.

As your institution's reporting needs evolve, some data fields may no longer be relevant for current or future data collection. Rather than continuing to display outdated or unnecessary questions on the Activity form, administrators can archive fields to remove them from day-to-day data entry while preserving the historical information already collected.

Archived fields are hidden from the Activity form, helping keep your dataset organized and focused on current reporting priorities. Historical responses remain preserved for reporting and long-term analysis, and archived fields can be restored to Active status if they are needed again in the future.

To archive data fields, click into the drop-down menu under the Status column that corresponds to the data field you wish to archive. Select "Archived" from the drop-down menu to move the data field to an archived state.

When a data field is archived, it will be visible within the Archived Status view in the Managed Fields dashboard. To view only archived data fields, or all data fields, click into the Status drop-down menu to update the view.

One of the primary design principles behind Custom Fields is preserving institutional data over time. As your Activity form evolves, Collaboratory protects historical information so institutions can continue reporting on previously collected data without interruption. Most customization changes affect future data collection, not historical records.

The table below summarizes how common modifications to the dataset affect historical data and future Activity submissions.

While it is encouraged for institutions to first identify any slight modifications to the standard Collaboratory dataset, the ability to create new Custom Fields provides the greatest opportunity to align Collaboratory with your institution's unique priorities, terminology, and reporting needs. Whether you're collecting information about strategic plan goals, legislative districts, community priorities, accreditation initiatives, or institution-specific programs, Custom Fields allow you to extend, enhance, and curate the Activity form while maintaining a consistent user experience.

If you cannot identify how the information will be used, consider whether the field is necessary. Well-designed datasets prioritize information that is meaningful, actionable, and regularly used for reporting or decision-making.

Each custom field includes several settings that determine how information is collected, displayed, and stored. Some of these settings become part of the database structure and cannot be changed after the field is created. Taking a few moments to configure a field correctly will improve reporting, reduce future maintenance, and create a more intuitive experience for users. To begin the process of creating a new custom field:

When creating a new custom field, administrators are prompted to configure several settings that determine how the field is displayed within the Activity form, how users interact with it, and how the data is collected and stored.

Question Text is the label users see when completing an Activity. Within the Manage Fields dashboard, this label is displayed as the Field Name. When creating a new field, choose wording that is clear, concise, and familiar to your institution. Use language that users will immediately understand, and avoid overly technical terminology or questions that require lengthy explanations.

Tooltips provide additional guidance without adding extra text to the Activity form. When a user hovers over the information icon beside a question, the tooltip appears to provide clarification or examples. Use tooltips when:

Answer Format determines the type of information a field can accept (such as Text, Date, Number, Money, Relationship, or Yes/No) and ensures responses are entered in a consistent format. Selecting the appropriate Answer Format improves data quality, supports accurate reporting, and creates a more consistent user experience.

If the selected Answer Format is Relationship or Text, Administrators must also select the appropriate Question Type. Question Type determines how users interact with the field on the Activity form and should be selected based on both the information being collected and how that information will be used for reporting.

Depending on the selected Answer Format, one or more Question Types may be available. Choosing the appropriate combination helps ensure a consistent user experience and high-quality reporting.

If you select Relationship as the Answer Format, you'll also choose the Entity Type that the field will connect to. Users will then use a searchable pop-out window to locate and link an existing Collaboratory record rather than entering information manually. Available Entity Types include:

If you select Text as the Answer Format, you'll also choose the Question Type that the field will utilize to collect responses. Available Entity Types include:

Not every question needs to appear for every Activity. Dependencies, also referred to as Conditional Logic, allow administrators to display a custom field only when it is relevant. This creates a cleaner, more intuitive Activity form by showing follow-up questions only after a user provides a specific response.

For example, instead of asking every user to identify a Strategic Plan Goal, Collaboratory can first ask whether the Activity aligns with the Strategic Plan. Only users who answer Yes will see the follow-up question asking them to select the appropriate goal.

Conditional Logic helps reduce unnecessary questions while still collecting detailed information when it is needed. It is particularly useful for guiding users through complex workflows without overwhelming them with fields that may not apply.

When creating or editing a custom dependent field, enable the Does this field depend on another custom field to be displayed? toggle to Yes. Then select the parent question that controls when the field should appear.

Each dependent field can have one parent field. When a user selects the specified response, the dependent field is automatically displayed as part of the Activity form. Conditional Logic is most effective when it:

When configuring Conditional Logic, keep the following limitations in mind:

Imagine your institution wants to report on activities that advance its Strategic Plan. Rather than asking every user to identify Strategic Plan Goals, begin with a simple Yes/No question.

When creating a new field, you'll decide whether it should be Required or Optional for users to complete.

You'll also determine whether a field should be Public or Private. This setting controls whether responses are displayed on public Activity pages. It does not affect data collection or reporting. Choose this setting based on how the information will be used, rather than simply whether it seems important.

Deleting a data field permanently removes it from Collaboratory and cannot be undone. Because deleting a field also removes its configuration, this option is intended only for fields that have never collected data. Deletion is appropriate for:

If a field has collected data, Collaboratory automatically prevents it from being deleted to preserve historical records and reporting.

When a new custom field is created, administrators can choose to report on the new field by enabling the toggle under the Report column to "yes" in the Manage Fields dashboard.

When enabled, a dashboard tile specific to that newly created field will be generated in the Administrator Reporting dashboard. New tiles summarize responses using charts and other visual representations, making it easier to identify trends and answer common reporting questions. Fields that contain standardized response options are generally the best candidates for dashboard visualizations.

Your dataset should evolve as your institution evolves. Rather than viewing Custom Fields as a one-time implementation project, revisit your Activity form periodically to ensure it continues to support institutional priorities and reporting needs. As a general practice:

The most effective datasets are not the ones that collect the most information, they're the ones that consistently collect the right information. Thoughtful customization creates a better experience for users, cleaner reporting for administrators, and more meaningful insights for institutional leaders.