CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Packback, whose AI-enabled writing and discussion platform has helped empower more than 1.5 million students to be fearlessly curious and express their unique voices, today announced a strategic growth investment from PSG, a leading growth equity firm partnering with software and technology-enabled services companies to help accelerate their growth. Packback’s proprietary AI functions as a digital writing assistant, helping to build students' confidence by providing individualized feedback before they submit their assignments. For educators, the platform provides scaffolded, AI-powered support to make the grading process more seamless, giving them more time to provide personalized, content-specific feedback. Packback's approach is rooted in cognitive frameworks like Bloom's Taxonomy and Self Determination Theory, and utilizes AI models to coach students through the process of writing without ever doing so on their behalf. In a study from 2021 conducted in partnership with 10 higher education institutions, results indicate that students in classes that use Packback received more A, B, C grades and fewer D, F, W's than the control group. “We are all incredibly excited to partner with PSG as we strive to advance our shared goal of getting more feedback to all students earlier in the learning process,” said Kelsey Behringer, CEO of Packback

Available to students across the globe, Packback's Writing Lab builds on research-backed AI writing and engagement platform to bring the writing center to students' fingertips, providing powerful real-time feedback to boost critical thinkingCHICAGO, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Packback, whose award-winning Instructional AI platform for student writing and engagement is used at over 600 institutions in the U.S and Canada, today announced the launch of Writing Lab, a direct-to-student AI writing platform that provides interactive writing coaching to help students improve their writing and build AI literacy skills. With the launch of Writing Lab, Packback will incorporate structured GPT-powered feedback while maintaining its foundations in student-centered pedagogy, student privacy, and academic honesty."Our faculty and academic leadership recognize that AI isn't going away, and if we want our students to use it academically honestly, we must lead by example and embrace it progressively and constructively. As our partner in generative AI, Packback enables us to provide our learners with supportive tools that fulfill AI's potential as a coach and a tutor, instead of a last-minute shortcut," said Jeffrey Alexander, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Truckee Meadows Community College. "With the advent of Writing Lab, we will soon be able to help all of our students to write more effectively, which enables instructors to focus on teaching and grading more substantial themes across a variety of disciplines. In this way, TMCC is demonstrating to students that AI can be a legitimate and powerful support for the creative process, rather than a substitute."Writing Lab is Packback's first tool designed for every student to access a personalized AI Writing Assistant on all of their academic writing, regardless if their instructor has added it to their course

Packback announces partnership with Northern Arizona University. Chicago, IL - Packback, an education technology company that provides an AI-powered discussion and writing platform for college and university students, is proud to announce a partnership with Northern Arizona University (NAU), a leading university in the Southwest. This partnership aims to support NAU's goals of developing critical thinking skills in students amidst the rise of generative AI, such as ChatGPT. The partnership between Packback and NAU reflects the university's commitment to innovation and academic excellence. The Packback platform has been used popularly by faculty members at NAU for the past several semesters, and this new partnership aims to deepen the integration of Packback's technology across the university's curriculum. "We are thrilled to partner with Northern Arizona University and support their efforts to develop critical thinking skills in their students," said Kasey Gandham, Cofounder and Chief Strategy Officer of Packback. "As the impact of AI on society continues to grow, it's essential that students have the tools to think critically and engage in meaningful discussions about complex topics. We believe our platform can help students develop these skills in a collaborative and engaging way." Packback's mission is to harness the power of AI to help educators implement high quality pedagogy at scale, while also providing students with instant feedback, fostering a community of students who are eager to share their unique voice. On Packback, AI is used to help coach students ask high quality discussion questions, and engage in academic discourse, which can help students develop critical thinking and inquiry skills before they leave the classroom. Artificial Intelligence is also utilized to give students nuanced writing, grammar, and source credibility feedback, which has been shown to increase student confidence in writing. According to Dr. Sneha Vissa, a Biology faculty member at NAU, "As someone who teaches large classrooms of over 200 students, I have found that Packback brings a unique opportunity for students to have engaging discussions with their peers and engage in group activity. Through this peer-to-peer interaction, Packback encourages critical thinking, facilitates healthy competition, and teaches the students to have informed debates on important topics." Paul Helford, Teaching Professor of Creative Media and Film at NAU, also added, "What I appreciate about Packback discussions is that I offer a general guideline for the question, and students decide what they think is most important, with Packback AI giving them feedback as they write. Students appreciate it as well. When asked what assignment contributed most to their learning in the class evaluations, in the two semesters I've used Packback, some half identify Packback, while the others identify a range of assignments." The partnership between Packback and NAU is a testament to the importance of critical thinking and collaboration in today's educational landscape. Packback is committed to helping students develop the skills they need to succeed in an AI-driven world and looks forward to continuing to support NAU in its mission to provide a world-class education to its students.