The Packback Blog

Tag Archives: online discussion

New England Board of Higher Education Cites Intrinsic Motivation in Students as a Key Element of Successful Online Instruction

A recent article by Dr. Richard Pattenaude, chancellor emeritus of the University of Maine System, and KarenAnn Caldwell, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Connecticut, recognizes that creating an online learning environment in which students find motivation internally is necessary for engagement. Among the list of ways professors can encourage students to push […]

Campus Technology highlighted Packback’s new “Instant Feedback” feature

Packback recently released “Instant Feedback“, a major step forward in the responsiveness and range of the AI-based feedback provided to students while they write their discussion posts. Campus Technology recently covered the new feature in the story, “Online Discussion Platform Adds AI-Powered Feedback Tool.”

Packback mentioned in a recent OpEd by Dr. Rich Pattenaude about the future of online learning

Dr. Rich Pattenaude, chancellor emeritus of the University of Maine System and president emeritus of Ashford University, recently published an OpEd, “If Online is the “New Normal,” Fully Online Colleges Can Teach Us a Lot.” The piece covers what all institutions can learn from fully online institutions to successfully manage the semester ahead in a […]

Research on Packback’s Efficacy Highlighted in Recent OpEd by Mick Starcevich, Former President of Kirkwood Community College

Mick Starcevich, former President of Kirkwood Community College, recently published on an editorial in The Evolllution on the urgency for instructors to begin planning for high leverage changes they can make to their courses now to help ensure their courses are ready for possible remote delivery come fall.

Packback Instructor, Dr. Thomas DeWitt, featured in Forbes

Dr. Thomas DeWitt, Marketing instructor at Michigan State University, was recently featured in a piece in Forbes to share his experience as an instructor transitioning to online instruction and how he is continuing to innovate under the new constraints driven by COVID-19.

Packback Webinar: Increasing Student Engagement in Any Size Course

In this webinar, Dr. Stephanie Tikkanen shares techniques on how she uses Packback to increase engagement in her 18, 100 and 400-student courses. She also discusses how the increased engagement led to more personal interactions in lecture halls, more visibility into students’ understanding of course material and helped spark student curiosity for the subject matter.

Product Feature: Section Small Groups

Packback has researched many ways of helping big classes feel more personal. Thanks to feedback from instructor users about the desire for more flexibility in subdividing communities, Packback developed Section Small Groups which allows students to participate with the entire class or filter their experience on Packback to only include students from their own section.

Product Feature: Critical Debates

Packback is passionate about building a platform that inspires students to become curious about course material and encourages an academic debate between classmates. With Packback’s Critical Debates feature, learners can now reply directly to Responses with a Counter Point or Supporting Point. This new feature makes it possible for the entire class to engage in […]