Packback Reviews & Product Details

I like the fact that Packback allows me to incorporate the use of AI into my course. It enables my students to use AI responsibly while learning how to strengthen their writing skills. The Deep Dive assignments encourage students to exercise and enhance their writing skills. The feedback feature is a huge plus as it highlights grammatical and mechanical aspects of writing that need to be refined. I love the discussion portal as it encourages students to seek scholarly literature to support their discussion, and is far more interactive than traditional discussion platforms. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I do not have any cons to address. The platform works perfectly for my needs! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are so many aspects of Packback that I appreciate, especially their customer service. My rep is very attentive and consistently keeps me informed about new opportunities. My students are highly engaged with Packback, even though there is a learning curve at first. However, once a student understands the platform and works through that initial adjustment, the feedback has been very positive. We have also participated in several professional development opportunities with my co-workers, and I encourage them to use the platform as well. Moving forward, I plan to explore the deep dive features in more detail. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I’d like to dive deeper into the Deep Dives. I think they’re a really cool feature, but I just haven’t had the time to explore them fully yet. The only issues I’ve run into so far are students having access problems because of their high schools’ firewalls. Also, I think more videos showing students how to structure a post would be helpful. My students tend to struggle at the beginning with understanding how to post, so having an example post to reference would be great as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It solves a big problem for me: how to keep student engaged on a weekly basis while developing their own voice and critical thinking skills. As I have been forced to teach bigger and bigger classes, I fear students become passive without some constant interaction. The asynchronous discussion Packback provides solves this problem wonderfully, and is superior to the Canvas discussion tools I had used before. I especially love the ease with which I can check on the group's performance, personalize feedback to students who are missing work, and praise and feature students who are doing well. I can bring their questions into class and use that as the start of the discussion, which is a great boost for them. Also, the Deep Dive function has greatly increased my efficiency in grading papers. I had to do read 160 last term, and it wasn't a nightmare! Lastly, the person-to-person interface with Packback's employees has been consistently excellent. I have never had a problem they couldn't solve, and it is usually taken care of well within 24 hours. That really made the difference for me as instructor. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The name: nobody knows what it means and they constantly confuse it with backpack. There are fiddly things about integration with Canvas, but they seem to be getting better. It's just that first-time adopters have a learning curve. Luckily the PB personnel set you up and guide you, so you can definitely get it done. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I appreciate the curiosity scores assigned to the discussion posts. They add an interesting dimension to the conversations and encourage more thoughtful participation. Customer support is a value, as they are traditionally quick to respond to me or my students and address their problems/concerns about the platform. Once the students are in the program, it is pretty easy for them to navigate it and know what needs to be done. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The limited formatting options in Deep Dives are frustrating, and the high cost is a significant concern for me. Additionally, the integration with Canvas is not as seamless as I would like, and it does not sync with the Canvas calendar to display student due dates. Implementing it is a challenge in my class because of the limited formatting and design features of the assignments I have students complete. This forces me to require students to submit part of the assignment in Packback and the other part, which requires more specific formatting that Packback doesn't allow, in Canvas. This is a considerable frustration for students semester after semester. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My favorite feature about Packback is the AI-grading system or curiosity score. This feature allows me to focus more on the content of the students' posts and provide better feedback rather than having to determine where their grade falls on a particular scoring range. It also helps by identifying the minimum curiosity score that students have to achieve to receive full credit for their submission. When students are aware of the minimum curiosity score their post has to reach, they have a better understanding of what they have to achieve to master their discussion board assignments. Overall, quicker grading, more efficient and useful feedback for students, and a better understanding of the requirements for discussion board assignments is why I continue to use Packback in my courses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I would appreciate being included in the message chain whenever students' posts are flagged for potential AI use or other concerns. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use Packback as a remote professor. I work full-time as a remote worker consulting for Operations Management. Packback is a platform where I can simulate e-mail conversation among collaborative co-workers. The AI tutor provides simple and direct feedback to improve casual writing. The application also supports references and images. This provides a forum where students must proofread and take feedback in order to be confident (with an AI score of 75 out of 100) in sending their response.

I often challenge the system to meet the needs of my students, and the support team usually finds a way that we can make the application work for us.

Students admit that they find the tool very intutitive and easy to use, when they remember to submit their responses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Packback is designed as a school tool instead of a proctored collaboration tool. I would like it to return to its organic roots where conversation and dialog was encouraged. I believe too much emphasis is placed on submitting a comment at the right time and in the right topic. Instead, I would like to see an approach that rewards "first to comment" and "high value" questions and responses. This type of scoring would better mimic the organic valuation of opinions in a remote collaboration environment.

I would also like to see a way to AI-generatively harvest some of the conversation. I believe that the AI could be doing so much more: summarizing conversations and creating a table of alternatives, creating conversational feedback for instructors to proof and send to students. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I was an early adopter of Packback at my institution, so I have been using it for many semesters now. I have used the Discussion Questions and I created a Topic of the Week that is related to something biology-related for my seniors to help keep them up to date. I have great participation and very good responses from students. I also love the Deep Dive Essays. Having the AI component helps me grade assignments and helps students learn to write better.

Overall, Packback gives me another dimension to my classes that I would not have. Discussion boards are boring and don't really help engage students in course content but Discussion Questions do.

The support I have received from John Kaczorowski has been phenomenal! Having him as a sounding board for things I want to do with my class and having him as a resource has been wonderful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nothing. I have enjoyed using all aspects of Packback. I am not even sure I use it to its true potential but what I do use is great. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The format encourages students to explore a topic within the class that they find interesting, which they find really motivating and engaging. I was surprised at how much students got engaged with the assignments when they started writing about something they were really interested in exploring. Packback also gives students feedback on reference and citation use, and ensures that AI generated content is limited in their assignment submissions. All of this is managed by giving students direct feedback and the ability to improve their work iteratively. Some students have even noted that this is a great jumping off point to help get them started on research ideas. And importantly, packback can provide this type of learning support in very large online classes, where instructor time, resources, and support would not make this level of feedback possible otherwise. An excellent critical thinking based assignment for large classes! Also, the platform is very easy to link to a course Canvas page, which is easily done with support from their great customer service. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Packback doesn't have the ability to filter for content, only for depth of the discussion and other important writing and citation building skills. This means students could theoretically write about aliens and still get full credit (yes, this has been attempted in my class). So you still do need to put some time into skimming through the posts to ensure students are on topic, but overall this is still a lot less time spent in grading as there would be otherwise. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The discussions are easy to use and the curiosity score helps to ensure an appropriate level of thoughtfulness and effort in the each student's engagement with content. The ability to set up rubrics, prompts, and other criteria make it easy to grade the Deep Dives and enhance the quality of student's work. I am just exploring the Polls, but am excited to use that feature more in classroom discussions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Nothing specific - I think it is all upside in my experience so far. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

In my opinion, Packback has been useful in enhancing student engagement and promoting higher-order thinking in my Exercise Physiology course. I regularly use the question-driven discussion model because it encourages my students to move beyond rote memorization and actively apply course concepts. One of the most valuable features is the real-time, AI-powered feedback, which guides students toward improving the depth, clarity, and originality of their contributions. Additionally, the platform’s automatic grading system significantly reduces administrative workload, allowing me to focus more on teaching and providing personalized feedback rather than manual scoring. The emalied highlights are also really helpful. This combination of pedagogical rigor and time-saving functionality makes Packback an exceptional resource. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is a learning curve for both students and instructors. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.