Packback Reviews & Product Details

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.

It makes organizing and grading discussions easy and efficient Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The fact that you cannot deep-link the discussion assignments has been an issue. Students have struggled to find the link that they need to use to access the platform.

Also, the frequent turnover in staff is frustrating. Anytime I need support I have to search through my emails to see who my current support person is and as soon as I finally memorize that person's name they get replaced. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Deep Dives for essay grading -- esp. helpful for grad classes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

sometimes the cost can be a little bit of an obstacle Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I teach several high school level writing classes and have benefitted from Packback's ability to provide feedback based on the various rubrics in each of my classes. Students also appreciate the chat feature as it helps them get ideas and jumpstart their ideas. I love that this program makes grading easier but also removes the stigma or AI in the classroom. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Some of the shorter activities are unrealistic to use because of how long they take to access and the difficulty of finding them. There are some user interface difficulties but students do become more familiar with the UI as time goes on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

User-friendly, promotes education and discussion within peers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Lack of flexibility to create rules within assignments, e.g., password for access, prevents either answer or questions, etc.

Not easy to get access to students' answers in bulk Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A great way to interact with the students. Also the student to student engagement is fabulous. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There is nothing about Packback that I don't like. It's very user friendly with amazing support staff. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It helps to outsource some of the student feedback on little things like grammar, spelling, citing sources, etc. Then I can engage with the highest level of student submissions. It's one of the better forms of AI use that I've seen in higher ED. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The cost, honestly. I have a lot of first generation, low-income students and some of the struggle to afford the subscription. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.