CASE STUDYArizona State University

Mastering Graduate-Level Writing: Achieving Excellence in Project Management

Sean Ryan, a project management professor at Arizona State University, has been using Packback Deep Dives for the past three semesters in his graduate level Project Management Theory and Thoughtful Projects classes. With class sizes of about 8-10 students, Sean faces unique challenges in transitioning students from undergraduate to graduate-level writing, particularly with 50%-65% of his students for whom English is a second language.

Key Takeaways

65% reduction in grading time

Students improved their writing performance by a full letter grade

Situation

Before using Packback Deep Dives, Sean Ryan found that students struggled with synthesizing ideas in their writing, requiring him to focus on grammar and structure instead of content, which limited the depth of feedback and impacted overall assignment quality.
  • Many students, especially non-native English speakers, struggled to move beyond an undergraduate writing level.
  • Sean’s time was heavily spent correcting grammar and structure rather than engaging with content.
  • Writing assignments made up about 50% of the course grade, making improved writing skills essential for student success.
Rear view of students with hands raised with a teacher in the classroom

Action

To improve student writing and reduce his feedback load, Sean implemented Packback Deep Dives, which offered real-time, AI-driven support and helped ease students into stronger academic writing.
  • Deep Dives provided instant, actionable feedback on writing, grammar, structure, organization, and flow.
  • International students particularly benefited from added support.
  • Sean modeled the platform’s use by writing a sample paper to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Focused young African female college student working on a laptop on some stairs on campus preparing for an exam

Result

By the end of the semester, Packback Deep Dives had significantly improved the quality of student writing and Sean’s ability to focus on higher-order feedback, resulting in more confident writers and a more efficient grading process.
  • Students improved their writing skills by a full letter grade on average, producing stronger, more cohesive papers.
  • Real-time feedback helped students better understand research, citation, and maintaining consistent perspectives in their writing.
  • Grading time dropped from 35 minutes to just 10 minutes per paper, allowing Sean to focus on deeper content feedback.
RESULTS

Real Impact,

Real Voices

To professors who are undecided on Deep Dives, Sean would say, “If you use the platform effectively it will help you structure your assignments so you’re focusing on a specific learning objective. You can actually help students learn how to research, how to draft and revise, and ultimately get through the editorial process — which is nearly impossible to do in a traditional writing environment.”

Professor Sean Ryan Arizona State University
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