Hi Matt, thx for the quick response.
Turns out my issue was understanding the "enable assessment" configuration hierarchy. While it was enabled at the application level, it wasn't enabled at the "Course" level, which of course made things difficult downstream.
My notes for anyone else wandering upon the same issue:
Getting Feedback to Work for Multiple Choice Questions
The Assessment and Tutor extensions must be installed and enabled at the application, course and article levels.
Application Level (Main Menu)
Main Menu --> Plugin Management --> Manage Available Extensions --> [Assessment and Tutor – check boxes are “checked”]
Course Level (Also works at Page Editor Level)
Dashboard --> Course --> Menu Editor --> Manage Extensions [“Add” Assessment and Tutor as "Options"]
Article Level
Click “Edit” for Article --> Extensions --> double click on “Extensions” and set appropriate parameters
Component (e.g. multiple choice questions)
Click “Edit” for Component --> set appropriate properties