Case Study
University of Georgia
How the University of Georgia Sparked Curiosity and Raised Teaching Evaluations in 300-Student Lectures
John Knox, Weather and Geology Professor at the University of Georgia, teaches large lecture-based courses like Introduction to Weather & Climate and Physical Geography to 300 students each fall. For years, John sought a way to foster genuine curiosity and peer-to-peer interaction in an environment where engagement is notoriously difficult to achieve at scale.
Key Takeaways
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80% of students reported discovering new, applied concepts
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76% of students reported engaging more with course material
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88% of students approved of John’s teaching practices due to Packback
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91% of students were satisfied with Packback’s quality and performance
91% of students were satisfied with Packback’s quality and performance
Situation
Despite trying various instructional methods, John struggled to maintain meaningful student interaction and motivation in his large lectures.
- His weather journal assignment saw declining participation and increasingly disengaged responses over time.
- Switching to in-class weather discussions failed to spark deep thinking as students relied on quick Google searches.
- John needed a scalable way to create real dialogue, encourage curiosity, and reduce grading time.
Action
John introduced Packback Questions into his lectures, seeing it as a tool that could foster both engagement and independent thinking.
- Each week, students posted one question and responded to at least two others based on current class topics.
- The discussion board’s interactive format allowed students to scroll, comment, and “spark” others’ posts, encouraging natural, self-directed exploration.
- John highlighted top questions during Thursday class sessions, using them to fuel in-class discussions that broke from the traditional lecture model.
Result
Packback helped transform John’s large lecture courses into dynamic, curiosity-driven communities.
- Students actively participated in meaningful discussions and began thinking beyond course requirements.
- Teaching evaluations improved significantly, with students praising Packback as a key part of their learning experience.
- Students described the platform as intellectually stimulating and collaborative, often recommending it to others.
- What once felt like busy work now inspired students to engage with real-world applications of course content.
“Packback helped me create the kind of learning environment I always wanted in a lecture hall. Students were engaged, curious, and invested—and that made all the difference, both for them and for me”
John Knox
Weather Professor
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