The Packback Blog

Recent Articles

Packback's Impact on Academic Achievement

Pedagogy

How Packback Ensures Regular and Substantive Interaction for Academic Accreditation

Higher education accreditors like WASC Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC) and The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) require colleges and universities to demonstrate regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between instructors and students in order to maintain accreditation. This becomes even more important when it comes to online courses where face-to-face engagement is limited.

Faculty Spotlight

How Packback Made Me a Better Teacher

Hello everybody, my name is Treston Smith and this is my Packback story.

I started teaching as an adjunct instructor at Sam Houston State University in the Fall of 2021. When I first started, I was given two online sections of a junior level History of Psychology course and an in-person Introduction to Psychology course. When I began organizing and structuring my courses, I knew that I did not want to teach a class that was only focused on exams. I hated exam focused classes as a student and knew that the research showed that it was not as effective as allowing students to use alternative avenues to demonstrate their understanding of course material.

Features

From Curious Rookie to Managerial Maestro: Billy Gorman’s Packback Success Story

At Packback, we love to celebrate victories both large and small, and at this moment, we’d like to recognize a pretty large victory for our newest Assistant Sales Manager, Billy Gorman. Billy’s story at Packback is truly one of hardwork, passion, dedication and determination and we’d like to take a moment to shine a light on Billy’s story and his road from University Outreach specialist to Assistant Sales Manager.

Features

From Textbooks to AI-Driven Education with Packback CPO, Jess Tenuta

Last week, Packback CPO and Co-Founder, Jess Tenuta was featured as a guest on the Edtech Insiders Podcast. Jess joined hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell to talk about the latest developments in the world of EdTech and more specifically, AI and the impact it’s having in the classroom. You can listen to the full episode here.

Professor Stories

I’m Keith Hollowell, and This is My Packback Story

In the fall of 2012, I was hired as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University to teach an introduction to literary analysis course at the undergraduate level. The purpose of this class is to teach students the skill of claim-based literary analysis.

Announcements

We’re Going All In: Introducing Our New AI-Powered Writing Assistant – Delivering Instant AI Feedback to ALL Students – Writing Lab

Writing Lab is a powerful direct-to-student AI writing feedback platform designed to help students develop writing skills and confidence outside of the classroom.

Before we reveal the recipe to our secret sauce (the “what” of Writing Lab) let’s rewind six years and explain “the why behind” Writing Lab.

For Educators

Instructor Engagement Guide: Tips to Engage Students on Packback

Packback’s suite of educator engagement tools enables professors to empower and motivate students in new and engaging ways. However, in order to get the most out of Packback’s technology and AI, educators must know how to properly use it. To truly exemplify how impactful Packback can be, we spoke with four educators and asked them to showcase the unique and exciting ways they are using our tools to maximize impact and transform learning.

For Educators

Back to School Tips for Teachers and Professors

Whether you are getting prepped for your fall semester Psychology 101 class, or your high school physics course, as summer winds down it’s normal for anxiety to start to creep in. So grab a seat, take a deep breath, and relax, because Packback’s crew of former educators put their heads together & shared their back to school tips!

Faculty Spotlight

When Worlds Collide: What AVID + Packback Means to Me

Hello friends, my name is Caitlin Kern, former AVID Elective and English teacher at Baltimore County Public School System and current Packback team member. My worlds recently collided when AVID and Packback announced their partnership to bring Packback’s AI-aided writing tutor and discussion platform to AVID’s wonderful Elective and Excel curriculum.

For those of you who haven’t heard of AVID, they are an incredible non-profit organization that supports over 100,000 educators and millions of students nationwide by helping them develop college and career readiness skills.

Stories

Strategies to Engage Students In the Classroom

Students are adopting generative AI like ChatGPT at a meteoric rate, and that adoption can be seen as somewhat of a double-edged sword.

On one hand, ChatGPT provides learning opportunities, increases efficiency, and can help prepare students for the future. On the other hand, many instructors worry that with increased reliance on technology, students risk losing their unique voices. Maybe even their critical thinking skills. Each student has the potential of bringing a creative perspective to the table, and that perspective is nurtured through reflection, writing, and critical thinking. If misused, generative AI could wipe away those practices along with students’ sense of individuality.

So as educators, we need to ask ourselves, what are some strategies to engage students in the classroom — perhaps even with the help of AI?

Request a Demo of the Packback Questions Platform

Curious to learn more? One of our friendly strategy consultants will be excited to meet you and discuss your course learning objectives. We will provide a free consultation to see if Packback would be a good fit for your class!

Request a Packback Demo