The Packback Blog

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The Topic of Discussion: How specific online discussion methodologies affect outcomes

Creating online educational experiences that are effective and equitable has taken on new urgency over the past few months. Fortunately, our understanding of what makes for effective online discussion has grown along with the expansion of online and blended education, along with face-to-face courses that employ online discussion.

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Making Change At Scale: Why I’m Joining the Team at Packback

Kimberly Blanchet, former Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at SUNY OCC, has joined the Packback team as an Academic Innovation Consultant. With over 7 years of experience making decisions that impacted the future of education for students at Post University and Onondaga Community College, Kimberly is now looking to support innovation in technology used to scale accessible, equitable, and effective learning experiences for students nationwide. Read her thoughts on why she made the move to join Packback.

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Packback’s “Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide” featured in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

In a recent article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, staff writer Sara Weissman offers the Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy guide as a resource for instructors across disciplines who are looking to facilitate an anti-racist dialogue in their classes.

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Recent Articles

The Common Application Has Removed the Discipline Question Due to Racial Disparities. What Other Structural Barriers Stand in the Way of BIPOC Students?

The Common App recently decided to get rid of a question which asked students applying to college if they had been subject to disciplinary action in high school. Although the decision to get rid of the discriminatory question is a victory for inclusion and access in higher education, it raises an important follow-up question– what other barriers to entry exist for BIPOC in the “standard” college application process?

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Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) Signs Three-Year Contract with Packback as Result of National Research Study

A national study conducted on the use of artificial intelligence in the classroom has led to a three-year contract between HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, and Packback. Among findings from the study are improved student engagement and better discussion quality.

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BIPOC Students and Bias in Higher Education: The necessity of unlearning biases to optimize outcomes for BIPOC students

The realities of bias against Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students in our nation’s predominantly White colleges and universities are hidden in the ways we have been taught to give feedback and to regard race in the classroom. This article explores how this bias harms the way that BIPOC students are able to learn and how we, as instructors, can be a part of the solution. 

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Research From Ivy Tech Partnership With Packback Will Aim to Identify Best Approaches for Engaging Students from Historically Underrepresented Backgrounds

In an article via Campus Technology, author Rhea Kelley writes about Ivy Tech’s recent partnership with Packback and its potential to close campus-wide equity gaps through research that aims to identify the best pedagogical approaches for engaging students from underrepresented groups.

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AI-Powered Discussion Forums Give Students “High-Quality Experience” They Now Expect From Remote Learning During COVID

As students move past the unexpected turmoil brought on the spring semester by COVID-19, “high-quality” remote learning is the new expectation. In her recent article for the League For Innovation, Doreen Fisher-Bammer, Associate Provost of Virtual Learning at HACC, uncovers how artificial intelligence plays a key role in improving the online classroom when implemented thoughtfully.

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As Engaging Online Programs Become a Necessity, WSU Tech Announces Partnership with Packback

WSU Tech recently partnered with Packback to support innovation in online learning. With COVID-19 forcing campuses across the nation to re-think effective online learning, WSU Tech’s decision will enable students and faculty to engage with each other in a more dynamic online setting.

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The Largest Postsecondary Institution in Indiana, the Ivy Tech Community College System, has Partnered with Packback

The Ivy Tech Community College System has partnered with Packback to support engagement, especially in online programming. The partnership will make AI-powered online discussion an essential tool at the nation’s largest community college system, serving just over 90,000 students annually.

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Education Dive Includes Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide in Article Addressing Measures Taken by University of Pittsburgh to Combat Racism on Campus

A recent article by Natalie Schwartz takes a closer look at how the University of Pittsburgh is addressing racism through courses aimed at 1st-year students, and how administrators across the nation can make campus-wide changes to address racism. Packback’s recently published Anti-Racist Discussion Pedagogy Guide is included in the article as one way to build an anti-racist pedagogy.

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