The different tools that can be implemented in different ways depending on the class. From the professor's perspective, it also helps reduce the time grading. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The least helpful thing is that sometimes it is hard to reorganize or find some of the information. The main downside is the cost. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love the platform to help students engage and continue thought provoking conversations using critical thinking skills. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I continue to have a hard time setting the grading system for students and it discourges participation. I was off to a great start when I first started and now there is a decline. 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.

Easy to keep track of student responses. I like the curiosity score Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I am not a fan of all the AI that is incorporated. Much of the advice, particularly grammar and readability, feels vague. Also, the black box aspect of some of the scoring is sometimes unhelpful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The drag-and-drop interface saves me hours every week. I also appreciate that it highlights students who come up with the best discussion questions through curiosity points. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The pricing is expensive for some students. Although the AI intelligence is helpful, it cannot provide the same feedback as a human. 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.

I like its ability to guide students to ask open ended questions with high curiosity score. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The due dates do not appear on the students canvas. As result, they tend to miss the submission dead lines. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.