Ask an ID: Packback for Better Discussions and Smarter Grading
Dear Instructional Designer,
My pilot this semester is using AI to help with grading discussion boards. Do you have any tips for making the most of these functions? I’d also love to hear from others who have tried AI for managing discussions and would be open to sharing their experiences.
–Discussion Dynamo
Dear Discussion Dynamo,
I haven’t personally used AI for grading discussions in Blackboard, but I have had a lot of experience with a tool called Packback—have you heard of it? At ACC, it started with just a few faculty members, but they loved it so much that we now have a license for the whole college.
Packback is designed to encourage deeper student engagement in discussion-based assignments. Instead of simply answering prompts, students are coached by the AI to ask curiosity-driven, well-supported questions. As they write, Packback provides real-time feedback, nudging them toward stronger critical thinking and clearer support for their ideas. It even flags issues like low-effort posts or potential academic integrity concerns, giving students a chance to revise before submitting. This means the quality of the posts you receive is much higher before you ever start grading.
For faculty, this support translates into less time moderating and a smoother grading process. The AI helps surface the most insightful contributions and ensures posts meet the required standards. Once you get comfortable with the workflow, you may find you spend very little time grading because Packback’s structure guides students through the steps before their post is complete.
It does take a shift in how you think about discussions since the focus moves from students answering questions to asking them. But this shift can really pay off, especially in large classes or courses where participation and critical thinking are core outcomes. If more classes in a department adopted it, students would quickly become comfortable with the approach and faculty would benefit from easier-to-grade, higher-quality discussions.
Packback also includes a tool for essays that works with students as they draft, helping them improve their writing without doing the work for them. It’s a strong option if you’re looking to integrate AI into your teaching in a way that supports learning outcomes while reducing your workload.
Here are a couple of video resources if you’d like to learn more:
I hope this gives you a sense of how Packback can transform discussion into deeper learning opportunities for students while also simplifying grading for you.
With AI becoming such a big part of students’ lives, I’m not sure how to handle it in my classes. Should I ban it, allow it, or encourage students to use it? And how do I explain my approach clearly to students in my syllabus?
– Syllabus Strategist
Dear Syllabus Strategist,
Let’s talk about AI. It’s here, it’s evolving, and it’s already a part of our students’ lives. That’s why, as a college, we’ve decided to be proactive and create a framework for how we approach Artificial Intelligence in our classrooms.
You might be thinking, “Another thing to add to my syllabus?” I get it. But this isn’t just about adding a new rule; it’s about opening a dialogue with our students and thoughtfully integrating a technology that will undoubtedly shape their futures. This policy isn’t a top-down mandate. It was thoughtfully crafted by a committee of your peers—faculty and staff from across the college—who understand the realities of our classrooms.
So, how do you get started? Let’s break it down into a few simple steps. And to make it even easier, we’re going to use a simple and memorable “stoplight” model to guide your thinking. 🚦
Step 1: Reflect on Your Course
First things first, take a moment to think about your course. What are your core learning objectives? What skills are you trying to build in your students? Now, consider your assignments in that context. Ask yourself:
Where could AI be a helpful tool? Could it help students brainstorm, conduct initial research, or practice coding?
Where would AI get in the way of learning? Are there assignments where the goal is to assess a student’s individual writing, critical thinking, or problem-solving skills without outside assistance?
Could AI be used in a way that enhances the assignment? Perhaps students could use an AI image generator for a presentation or a grammar checker to polish their writing.
Jot down some initial thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers here—it’s all about what’s best for your students and your course.
Step 2: Choose Your Approach 🚦
Now that you’ve reflected on your course, it’s time to choose your approach. Think of it like a stoplight:
🔴 Red Light (Prohibited): For some assignments, you may decide that any use of AI is inappropriate. This is your “red light.” It’s a clear signal to students that the work must be entirely their own.
🟡 Yellow Light (Permitted with Conditions): You might decide that AI can be used, but with certain limitations or requirements. This is your “yellow light.” For example, you might allow students to use AI for brainstorming but not for writing their final draft. Or you may require them to cite their use of AI.
🟢 Green Light (Required or Encouraged): In some cases, you might want to actively encourage or even require students to use AI. This is your “green light.” This is a great option for assignments where you want students to learn how to use AI tools responsibly and effectively. I think it’s great to give your students a chance to get familiar with how to use AI tools responsibly because they are going to be a big part of the future.
Step 3: Craft Your Syllabus Statement ✍️
Now it’s time to put your policy in writing. A clear and concise syllabus statement is key to setting expectations from day one. If you’re new to AI, this is a great opportunity to experiment with a generative AI tool like Gemini. Here’s how:
Open your preferred AI chatbot (like Gemini).
Copy and paste the following prompt into the chat: I am a faculty member at Austin Community College, and I need to create a syllabus statement about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in my course. I have reviewed the college’s AI policy, which encourages faculty to choose a “prohibited,” “permitted,” or “required” approach.
Please help me draft a syllabus statement. I will provide you with the following information:
1. **My chosen approach:** [Choose one: Prohibited, Permitted, or Required]
2. **My rationale for this choice:** [Briefly explain why you chose this approach for your course]
3. **Specific guidelines or examples:** [List any specific rules, such as “You may use AI for brainstorming but not for writing your final paper,” or “You must cite any use of AI.”]
Based on my input, please generate a clear and friendly syllabus statement that I can include in my course materials.
Replace the bracketed information with your own. Be as specific as you can. The more detail you provide, the better the AI’s response will be.
Review and revise. The AI will give you a great starting point, but you’ll want to read it over and make sure it reflects your voice and the specific needs of your course.
Want another option? Our very own faculty member Herb Coleman has created a customAI Syllabus Statement Bot that’s designed just for this purpose. It’s fast, easy, and tailored to our college’s policy. (You’ll need a ChatGPT account to use it.)
Step 4: Plan a “Week 1” Conversation 🗣️
Your syllabus statement is a great start, but don’t stop there. Dedicate some time in the first week of class to have an open and honest conversation with your students about AI.
Explain your policy and your rationale.
Ask them about their own experiences with AI.
Answer their questions and address any concerns.
This proactive conversation can help prevent misunderstandings down the road and create a classroom culture of trust and transparency.
We’re Here to Help! 🤗
I know this is a new frontier for many of us, but you’re not in it alone. ACC is here to support you every step of the way. We offer:
Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs): Join a community of your peers to explore AI in education, share ideas, and learn from one another. FLC website
Sandbox Sessions: These informal sessions are a great place to experiment with AI tools in a supportive and low-stakes environment. Check out theFCLI website for upcoming dates and topics.
Instructional Designer 1:1 assistance: Our TLED Academic Technology Instructional Designers are happy to sit down with you in the Teaching and Learning Center or over Zoom to work with you on your policy and explore the options. Fill out our form here: Instructional Design Consultation Form
We’re excited to embark on this journey with you. Let’s work together to create a learning environment that embraces innovation while upholding academic integrity.
I have a lot of reading materials and student submissions I want to use for a literature review assignment but I’m struggling to organize everything and make it manageable. Any ideas on how to streamline this process?
-Overwhelmed Organizer
Dear Overwhelmed Organizer,
A tool you might find incredibly helpful is NotebookLM. It’s a research and organization tool that lets you upload your own materials, then uses AI to help you synthesize information, create outlines, and prepare resources. The beauty of NotebookLM is that it only pulls from your uploaded documents and footnotes exactly where it got the information so you stay in control of your sources.
For your literature review assignment, you could upload your readings and student submissions, then use NotebookLM to highlight key ideas, draft outlines, or even generate summaries that save you time without losing accuracy.
You can access NotebookLM here. To help you get started, I encourage you to check out this tutorial created by Dr. David McMurrey who teaches Business, Government & Technical Communications at ACC: Getting Started with NotebookLM.
I hope you find this tool helpful in taming large sets of materials while keeping the process transparent and manageable.
Explore Arun John’s proposal to integrate immersive virtual reality (VR) into humanities courses, examining themes such as disability and displacement. This white paper showcases how VR fosters student engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and deepens empathy to enrich learning in the digital age.
Explore how ACC’s Health Sciences Division is preparing students and faculty for an AI-driven future. In this white paper, Estrella Berrera outlines how this symposium united experts, educators, and students to examine AI trends, ethics, and hands-on applications in healthcare and education.
My students are working on Economic Research Projects. When they use the free Chat GPT, it is not enough, so they sometimes get kicked out before accomplishing their task. I want to avoid equity issues for the student who doesn’t own a subscription to OpenAI. So am looking for a free alternative to put all students on equal footing. Do ACC students have free access to Perplexity or another AI that is suitable for economic research?
-AI Instructor
Dear AI Instructor,
I got your request and I have some answers for you but the bigger answer is there is an GAI Strategic Planning Committee that is working on guidelines and investigating potential tools for ACC. As it is right now, ACC does not offer students any specific AI tools. However, there are quite a few free models that we have access to and combining them can get you pretty far.
First, you mentioned Perplexity and I have the free version of this tool. I use it extensively to find research materials and I haven’t hit the paywall yet. I would recommend to your students to use the Spaces feature to collect their research. Depending on what you are researching, users can also change the focus of the research to rely on academic sources, or social media sources, or the internet at large. These different focus areas change the results dramatically and can be very interesting.
Another tool that I recommend is Consensus which is an AI tool designed to search only academic papers. Like Perplexity, it footnotes every source it mentions with a link to the actual paper and it also creates academic citations.
Scispace has unlimited usage at the Basic level but it doesn’t do as thorough a job as the paid account. It’s similar to Consensus and only uses academic papers. The cool thing about this tool from a teaching POV is that it asks some clarifying questions to make sure it understands exactly what the user is looking for. It will then do a search and order its finding by relevance. Each paper will have an “Insights” column automatically added so I can see if the paper is applicable. I can make columns to quickly compare conclusions or methods of different papers to find exactly what I’m interested in.
You are definitely not alone in your concerns about student equity. I think these tools will all come at a price in the future and it could cause lots of harm to our students at that point. But right now, since all the tools are competing with each other and experimental, the free versions are really helpful and always provide more information than I can handle!
I hope this information addresses your question. If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Examine how AI enhances students’ analytical skills in economics while addressing misinformation and academic integrity. Lei Ji discusses why evaluating AI-generated answers helps students develop deeper understanding and improves critical thinking.
Learn how AI chatbot interactions influence students’ perceptions of cultural humility. In this white paper Angela Niedermyer outlines an innovative study using collaborative tools and AI to enhance intercultural communication and self-awareness.
Ask an ID: AI Implications in Healthcare and Education Symposium Highlights
Dear Instructional Designer,
I had the pleasure of helping coordinate the “Future Health: AI Implications in Healthcare and Education” symposium and I wanted to say that I really enjoyed your presentation—it was fascinating and I got some good insights into the tools currently available and how to use them more effectively. Would you be able to share your notes from the symposium including the information you shared during your session? This would be helpful as we plan future initiatives. I appreciate the effort you put into your presentation and look forward to continuing to work with you.
-AI Innovator
Dear AI Innovator,
Thank you for your kind message! The “Future Health: AI Implications in Healthcare and Education” symposium put on by TLED and ACC Health Sciences was packed with insights about AI’s transformative impact on healthcare and education. The discussions ranged from AI’s potential and ethics to its practical uses today. Here’s a recap of the highlights!
Babak Hodjat Keynote: “AI—Alchemy or Moonshot?” Babak Hodjat, the CTO of AI at Cognizant, opened the event with a deep dive into AI’s evolution. While we haven’t reached Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) yet, Babak outlined what AGI could look like in the future: ● Predictive Abilities: AGI will identify and adapt to shifting patterns in data. ● Prescriptive Power: AI could eventually advise us on optimal actions based on analysis. ● Contemplative Scenarios: Like humans, AGI will learn through trial and error to find the best outcomes. ● Creative and Adaptive: Future AI will evolve like humans do, building on existing ideas, learning what works, and adapting through creative problem-solving.
Panel 1: AI in Education and Workforce Preparation
This panel discussed how AI is changing both education and healthcare workforce training, with panelists from Austin Community College (ACC) and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:
● Susan Warner-Sanchez, Ph.D. (ACC), led the panel, highlighting the importance of AI proficiency for both faculty and students. ● Jaime Cantú (ACC) shared his use of student-created assessment videos as a way to engage students with AI-supported learning. ● Stephanie Long, M.S. (ACC Faculty Center) emphasized how existing educational structures can integrate AI without a total overhaul. ● Michelle Singh, Ph.D. (Texas Higher Ed) discussed AI policies and the need for transparency, especially for students’ understanding of AI use boundaries. ● Misty Rasmussen, Ph.D. (ACC Planning) and Kate Williams, DNP (Baylor Scott & White) both spoke about preparing students for a changing job market, focusing on adaptability, critical thinking, and compassion.
Key Takeaways: ● AI proficiency for students and faculty is essential in both healthcare and education. ● Institutions should create clear guidelines on acceptable AI use to avoid confusion. ● Human-centered skills, especially critical thinking and adaptability, are irreplaceable.
Fireside Chat with Dr. Craig Watkins: Addressing Bias in AI
Dr. Craig Watkins discussed the potential pitfalls of AI bias and the importance of diverse perspectives:
● Bias in AI Models: Dr. Watkins highlighted real-world cases where AI models inadvertently reinforced racial or income biases, despite efforts to “scrub” demographic data. ● Diverse AI Development: Ensuring AI is developed with diverse input can help mitigate biases and ensure fairer applications.
Main Message: Diverse voices in AI development are critical to avoid unintended bias and build fairer AI systems.
Panel 2: AI Trends in Healthcare
Moderated by Beth Vaughn of HCA Healthcare, this panel focused on current AI applications in healthcare and its potential to transform patient care and administration. The panelists included leaders from healthcare and tech:
● Sajol Ghoshal (Advanced TeleSensors) shared insights on using AI-driven sensors to monitor patient health, like detecting heart and respiratory rates. ● Madan Gopal, Ph.D. (Texas Health and Human Services) spoke about AI’s use in knowledge management for healthcare. ● Abel Guevara III, DHA discussed optimizing healthcare revenue cycles with AI, while Andy Mathis (Neuro Rehab VR) highlighted VR as a tool for interim patient care. ● Toni Swinton, DNP (HCA Healthcare) shared how the Jane Assessment tool in their LMS uses AI to speed up onboarding and competency assessments for healthcare staff.
Highlights: ● AI is enabling real-time patient monitoring and reducing administrative workloads in healthcare. ● AI tools like VR and the Jane Assessment support workforce training and rehabilitation. ● Transparency is essential—“black box” algorithms without explanation are risky in patient care.
Panel 3: AI for Social Good
Moderated by Nina Almasy from ACC Health Sciences, this panel explored the ethical implications and societal impacts of AI, with a focus on creating positive outcomes. Panelists brought expertise from public policy, academia, and student perspectives:
● Maaz Amjad, Ph.D. (Texas Tech) and Sherri Greenberg (UT Austin) discussed AI’s potential to address social issues, but cautioned against over-reliance and encouraged responsible, ethical use. ● Aleena Tomy, a student from Texas State, emphasized the need for young people to be equipped with AI literacy to navigate future careers.
Main Insights: ● Establishing certification or audits for AI tools could help ensure they meet ethical standards. ● AI should be used as an aid, not a replacement; human oversight is crucial. ● Responsible use of AI for social good requires ethical standards and transparency.
AI Tools Shared by Stephanie Bogdanich Stephanie Bogdanich introduced various AI tools aimed at enhancing both healthcare and educational applications. For easy access to these tools and additional resources from the symposium, they’ve been shared on a Padlet board, which you can view here.
Key Takeaways from the Symposium
Upskill for the Future: Both students and faculty need ongoing training in AI to stay current.
Question AI Outputs: Human oversight is necessary to verify AI’s suggestions.
Transparent AI Policies: Set clear boundaries for AI use in education and healthcare.
Local Implementation: Start with small AI integrations, then expand if successful.
Humanity at the Core: AI should enhance human skills, with critical thinking and empathy remaining essential.
The symposium was a reminder that while AI has incredible potential, our values and ethics should guide its growth. Let’s keep our human touch at the center as we explore all that AI has to offer.
Yours in Innovation, Stephanie Bogdanich, Instructional Designer
Jaime Cantú, a faculty member in the Biology department, has been pioneering the use of generative AI to revolutionize how we approach teaching and learning. Through trial and error, he has achieved remarkable results with his Anatomy and Physiology students, demonstrating the powerful impact of personalized education. Log into Panopto and watch his workshop recording to not only gain an understanding of the technicalities of AI, but also explore how these advancements can be seamlessly integrated into teaching methodologies to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
