Packback Reviews & Product Details

The help with writing that it offers students and the immediate feedback. Also, the ability to upload links and GIFS/videos. As an instructor, it's easier for me to read through responses than Canvas' discussion forums. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I don't like that it breaks up the responses into multiple pages instead of a continual flow - would be easier for scrolling purposes. The cost can also be offputting to students. The Deep Dives set up is a bit clunky visually, especially the prompt section. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Packback allows me to give meaningful assignments for students to apply concepts we have been learning in class in a real world setting. It allows for ease of scoring without need to manually grade each one. Feedback can be given to the class as a whole during discussion but each student has received a score.

The support from the experience managers has always been excellent. They have helped me in setting up the courses and were a great source of knowledge and support as i originally was determining how I could best set up assignments for particular courses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I would use polling more often if the polling questions could be easily integrated. The ability to embed polling questions in my power point slides and not require jumping back and forth between applications in class would be a significant improvement.. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Adding Packback to my courses has lead to deeper student engagement, improved writing outcomes, and saves me time by allowing me to provide quicker feedback to students. The AI Writing Tutor in the Writing Assignments is very valuable to students, especially developmental-level students, as it provides prompting questions if they are experiencing writer's block (while not giving them the answers--a student told me, "It's asking me the same questions you would ask me in the tutoring lab!" The depth of student responses in the Discussion Assignments is much improved over discussion boards in our LMS, too. Overall, Packback is a way of "steering into the skid" of incorporating AI into the classroom. It is easy to get students set up in the platform, as the customer support from the Packback team is second to none: creating a 15 or 30 minute meeting with a Packback support representative can have you set up and ready to use your classes right away. It integrates very smoothly with our LMS, so students can access Packback assignments very easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My only suggestion for improvement is on the Discussions--I wish that student replies to their classmates were indented in some way so that I could easily see which post they are responding to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I cannot speak highly enough of their customer support. The curriculum consultants, in particular, are extremely helpful. They listen to your concerns, they express enthusiasm about new features, and they will be your biggest cheerleaders when you're mired down in the midst of a school year. I've never worked with an ed-tech company that almost exclusively staffs former educators. I have been working with Packback for about 4 years now, and one of the best things about their customer service is that they LISTEN TO FEEDBACK and implement changes that teachers need/want.

For the students, I love that Packback assists students in checking credibility of sources, in monitoring their grammar, and in strengthening their claims.

For me, I like how easy it is to use; I can connect Packback to Schoology, I can set how often I use it, I can change due dates as necessary. I find that it closely mimics college style discussion boards, so my students will feel comfortable when they make that transition. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

While the AI feedback is helpful, I've had to create new rules for my students to follow when generating Packback discussion questions or responses as they have found "loopholes" to increase their Creativity score (including a source without actually referencing it; using various text treatments like bold or underline when it doesn't make sense; needless photos). Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a professor, I use Packback in all my courses. It is especially helpful in my MBA Marketing Management class. Students engage more thoroughly with the course material. In Packback, student responses to one another's posts are much more thorough than in the LMS discussion boards.

Packback provides intelligent writing support, moderation, automated checking of specified rubric items, and an easily understood discussion scoring system. It speeds up grading, making it especially useful for large online classes.

It serves as a grammar checker and gives students feedback as they write. It has improved submissions in all of my classes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The writing section allows students to submit late work. All have to do is push one button. The discussions require that I give students extensions to preset deadlines. With up to 120 students in a class, that can be annoying. Also, some students take longer to become accustomed to the platform. Most, however, adapt quickly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Packback is great for several reasons. It harnesses AI resources to assist your students (not generative AI, mind you), with grammar suggestions and prompts. It has a generative AI check that at the very least requires students to pause and think about what they are submitting. It's easy to use for faculty and students--my grading with Packback is way easier and more convenient than with Canvas Speed Grader. It has a cost to the students, to be sure, but that is the world we live in with generative AI. Their staff are great and easy to work with. They are very available and responsive. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Do I still have some issues with students submitting generative AI work? Yes. There is no perfect system. Packback is still the best I've found, and for that reason I'll continue to use it religiously. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I teach a 3-3 course load at my institution and have incorporated Packback into the curriculum for most of my classes over the last five years or so. It is easy to integrate into my classes (and when I need help, customer support is available and responsive). My students' learning is deepened and improved through Packback discussions because they are able to engage with course content in community and between class sessions. My favorite way of using Packback is to create guide posts that encourage my students to explore an important topic or reflect on a topic of their choosing related to material we're covering in class. When I incorporate themes from their discussions into a class session, they often demonstrate a higher level of engagement because I am drawing on and making public their own ideas and questions. In addition to these benefits, as a faculty member I'm thrilled with Packback's customer support. I work closely and reliably with one specialist, who personally knows what I'm teaching and my pedagogical methods, and so is able to target my needs and offer relevant and actionable solutions and insights. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The cost for my students. I teach at an institution with many first-generation and underresourced students, for whom purchasing a textbook alone can create financial hardship. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

From an instructor's perspective, Packback is incredibly easy to use. The onboarding experience was smooth, with clear guidance and support every step of the way. Their customer support team is responsive and helpful, always quick to address any questions or issues. Some of my favorite features include the customizable grading rubrics, automatic plagiarism detection, and the weekly email summaries, which keep me updated on student participation and performance without having to dig through the platform. One of the biggest benefits is the time saved on grading—the AI-assisted evaluation tools significantly reduce the manual workload, allowing me to focus more on providing meaningful feedback and supporting student learning. This goes for both the discussions and deep-dives. Another major strength is the flexibility it offers to students. They can contribute on their own schedules, which has been particularly helpful for non-traditional and online learners. The platform also provides a writing lab that students can utilize for any other class where guidance on writing is needed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes the AI-assisted grading gives points for images and citations- which is fine but, it takes away from the points needed for the actual post. So I will have students with grade written posts receive a small number of points than those who posted a semi good written response but included images of textbooks or articles. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have used Packback in my courses each semester since Fall 2023—approximately six semesters total. Over the past two years, I have observed dramatic improvements in student writing over the course of each term. Packback has also proven to be an excellent tool for fostering student engagement, both on the platform and in the classroom.

From an instructor’s perspective, Packback is intuitive and easy to use. The integration with Blackboard LMS has steadily improved, making the platform even more seamless to incorporate into my course structure. On the rare occasions I’ve had questions, my Experience Manager and the Packback help desk have been responsive and helpful, providing quick and effective support. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

No tool is perfect, but I have been impressed with Packback's effort to improve the platform. My only real critique is that changes to the system are often rolled out in the middle of a semester. This has resulted instances of having to change how I used the tool and then convey those changes to my students pretty quickly. Granted these changes were relatively small, but they were frustrating to engage with. The Packback helpdesk was a great resource each time this occurred. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Ease of use and grading is much more streamlined, fair, and less subjective. I don't have to spend so much time reviewing and evaluating citations. Customer support has been prompt, responsive, and effective! It has had very few issues integrating with Canvas. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The match and message system could be better by being alphabetical! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.