Packback Integration
Packback is an AI-supported discussion platform that encourages peer-to-peer discussion, improves student curiosity, communication skills, and critical thinking. It is supported by the automated moderation, sorting, and scoring algorithms (packback.co). If you are using this tool in your SUNY Online course, the instructions described below should be added to the course for your students to be able to easily access this tool.
Packback course community needs to be set up within Packback first. Send an email to Dan Feinberg to request your course Packback community. Please share your course number and title in the message.. Once you have it set up, SUNY Online IDs can help to do the rest.
Adding Packback to Your Course
The Packback Questions tool is available in the SUNY Online Blackboard in the Build Content menu. As shown in the image below, Packback discussions can have custom titles and prompts and can be added to each module where they are used.
When you click on Packback discussion link in your course, you will be asked to accept the terms of use and to create an avatar (optional) the first time you enter the forum. Students should be taken right to the forum when they click on a a link to Packback from within the course. You might need to provide a Packback community code to students who have difficulty. They can also reach out to Packback help for assistance. Student information on Packback will be included in the Course Information section of your course.
Since these discussions open in a new window and in a different environment, it is a good practice to have the prompts/questions included in the course match the prompts/questions inside the Packback course community.
For more information on Packback, please review Instructor Tools and Features.
Packback Discussion Instructions
The very first Packback Discussion can have the following text added below the main prompt. This text provides instructions for using Packback, links to the resources, an alternative way for accessing Packback course community, and contact information for the technical support. You can copy this text and modify it for your use.
Packback Discussion Instructions
In order to receive your points per week, you must post 1 Question and 2 Answers relevant to our class subject matter in each discussion.
Before you start posting, be sure to read the Community Guidelines. Also, review the tutorial on Packback that explains what it is and how to navigate the interface. If your post doesn’t follow the Packback Community Guidelines, there is a chance it will be removed and you won’t receive points for that post. There will be a Sunday 11:59 PM deadline for submissions in your community each week.
Note: it takes 24 hours for the Packback team to moderate a post and send a coaching email. If for any reason your post is moderated because it does NOT meet the Community Guidelines, you will need to edit and re-publish your post to receive credit for the week. This is why it is important that you complete your Packback questions and responses far before the deadline in case your post is moderated.
Packback Registration
Once you click on Packback Discussion in this course, you should be taken to your course community automatically. If this doesn't happen, please email help@packback.co with your course title, campus and instructor name. You can also follow the steps below to register manually.
Backup Registration: you can also manually register with this course's Packback community by following these steps:
go to the Packback Login page and click “Sign up for an account”
register with your school email address and real first name and last name
enter our class Community Lookup Key into the “Join a new Community” module on your dashboard: [add your Packback course community key here]
follow the instructions on your screen to finish your registration
If you have ANY questions or concerns regarding Packback throughout the semester, please contact the customer support team at help@packback.co.