Case StudyVirginia Commonwealth UniversityCreating a More Inclusive Classroom Through Writing and DiscussionProfessor Keith Hollowell shares how Packback helped transform his Intro to Literature course by giving quieter students a space to express themselves and connect more deeply with the material. In this short video, he reflects on how that shift changed his classroom dynamic and his approach to supporting student writers. About the speaker Keith Hollowell Literature Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University "What I really appreciated was the students that were quiet in class—through Packback, they were able to have their voices be heard. It gave voice to the voiceless.” Keith’s Key Observations Students who were quiet in class began expressing themselves through writing, using Packback to engage with literature and their peers in a more personal and meaningful way. Real-time feedback gave students writing support as they worked, helping them grow without compromising their voice. Packback helped shift perceptions around academic integrity, making originality part of an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time check. Having one platform for writing, feedback, and peer interaction streamlined Keith’s workflow and made it easier to support student growth. Video Transcript 01Click to Expand My name is Keith Hollowell and I teach an English 215 class, which is an intro to Literature. The reason why I started using Packback is because I needed my students to find a place that they could build an online literary community. Using Pacback from the very jump, students were excited. And I was able to go through and give them direct feedback instantaneously as they were writing. Now, what I really appreciated about Packback from the beginning was that students were quiet in class, but through Packback, they were able to then have their voice and be heard. They were then able to communicate their own thoughts and you know, it gave voice to the voice less. A lot of my students struggle, and they don’t want to admit that they need help in writing to begin with. But as they’re writing about their material impact, they’re getting feedback as they’re going, which I absolutely appreciate because it’s not changing their writing. I didn’t love Canvas and I didn’t love Turn it In because a lot of my students saw that it was fallible and a lot of my students could turn in writing that was not their own. Packback has an AI detection tool in it. It is comparable, if not better than a lot of the sites that I have paid for on my own. It’s not like Grammarly. It’s not like other AI detection. I can check originality. I can check for plagiarism. Now everything that I have my students write comes directly into Packback all the time, which saves time for me. It saves time for them. I’m able to give them a platform where they can be connected together. SCHEDULE A DEMOWant to achieve similar results? Contact us today. "*" indicates required fields First Name*Last Name*Email* Your Role*Select OneFaculty (Higher Education)Administrator (Higher Education)Instructor (K-12)Administrator (K-12)OtherInstitution*EmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
