Skip to content

Packback uses cookies to understand what pages are useful to our customers and make our site more effective. Questions? Contact us.

Logo: Packback - Fearlessly curious.
  • Products
    • Packback Questions
    • Packback Instruct
  • About
    • Pedagogy
    • For Institutions
  • Resources
    • Resource Library
    • Webinars
  • Blog
  • Login
    • United States Login
    • Canadian Login
  • Search
  • Request a Demo
 Go back to Blog Home
  • News

Dr. Andy Shean of Penn Foster Cites Packback as One Way Institutions Can Reinvigorate Traditional Online Discussion

Posted by

In a new article for Fierce Education, Chief Learning Officer at Penn Foster College, Dr. Andy Shean, shares how institutions can successfully implement online discussion to energize students and create engaging learning environments. The key? Moving away from “traditional” discussion forums in favor of methods that challenge students to think critically.

In the past two years, higher education has been forced to adapt to change like never before. However, writes Dr. Andy Shean, that rapid change may be responsible for shedding light on what actually works when it comes to engaging students.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, it’s become clear that building a sense of community is essential to facilitating strong classrooms. Dr. Shean suggests that this shift towards community-centered learning has illuminated a need for discussion methods that help build students’ social presence, offering Packback as an example.

As the needs of today’s learners evolve, writes Dr. Shean, so should the methods that we use to cultivate their critical thinking skills. Packback’s socially motivated platform achieves this, helping students build community through inquiry-driven discussion.

“Automate the process. Artificial intelligence has gotten sophisticated enough to grade and provide real-time feedback on discussion posts. Packback, for instance, takes it up a notch by offering a so-called “curiosity score,” which provides immediate feedback that incentivizes students to write well-articulated and well-supported responses to forum posts. In an online forum, AI can be an instructor’s best digital friend. 

Online discussions shouldn’t be useless to students, meaningless for instructors and a graveyard where half-baked discussion topics go to die. With some simple practices and the support of emerging technology, it’s possible today to build a much better online discussion experience that students will respond to positively not because they’re programmed to do so but because they genuinely want to.”

Excerpt from “Successfully Bringing Discussion Forums into Online Learning”

Read the full article from Fierce Education


Posted by Posted inNewsTags: andy shean, asynchronous, Canvas, custom feedback, ed tech, online discussion, Packback, Packback Community, penn foster, penn foster college, remote learning, student engagement

Recommended for You

  • News

In the Wake of COVID-19, Tools Like Packback Help Instructors Reset Expectations and Empower Students

In a new article for Getting Smart, Dr. Bill Harrison, former superintendent of Cumberland County Schools and former chair of the North Carolina State Board of Education, explores the potential of AI to reshape classroom expectations so that students can thrive.

Posted by Posted inNewsTags: Bill Harrison, classroom community, cumberland county schools, Dr. Bill Harrison, ed tech, Getting Smart, instructor-student relationships, nc state, north carolina, online discussion, Packback, relationships, remote learning, saving time with tehcnology, Student potential, student-to-teacher relationships, time management
  • News

K-12 Dive Article Outlines How Tools Like Packback Can Build Classroom Community and Save Educator Time

In a new article for K-12 Dive, former Superintendent of Palm Beach County Schools, Robert Avossa, shares how educators can free up their time from administrative tasks to focus on students. The solution? Implementing the right EdTech tools that can save time in the classroom while promoting community.

Posted by Posted inNewsTags: classroom community, ed tech, instructor-student relationships, K-12 Dive, online discussion, Packback, relationships, remote learning, Robert Avossa, saving time with tehcnology, student-to-teacher relationships, time management
  • News

Dr. Brynn Welch Shares How Packback Helps Reframe Her Approach to Teaching Philosophy

As a part of Blog of the APA’s Syllabus Showcase, Dr. Brynn Welch, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, recently shared her innovative approach to crafting an engaging syllabus for Introduction to Philosophy students. One of the core components? Packback’s online discussion platform.

Posted by Posted inNewsTags: brynn welch, custom feedback, discussion, Dr. Brynn Welch, ed tech, student engagement, University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham

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
Logo: Packback - Fearlessly curious.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Packback Questions
    • Login
    • Student Signup
    • Get Support
    • Request a Demo
  • ABOUT
    • Packback Questions
    • Pedagogy and Approach
    • Case Studies
    • Accessibility
    • LTI Integration Information
  • Resources
    • Resource Library
    • Webinars
  • Company
    • About Packback
    • Careers
    • Packback Blog
    • Apply to Jobs
  • Site
    • Compliance Center
    • AI Ethics Policy
    • Packback Terms of Use
    • Refund Policy
    • Packback Privacy Policy
    • Bookstore Process
Copyright Packback 2022 55 E Jackson Blvd Suite 600 Made by curious minds in Chicago