From Textbooks to AI-Driven Education with Jessica Tenuta of Packback
Sep 25, 2023
auto_awesome
Jessica Tenuta, Chief Product Officer of Packback, discusses AI-driven education focusing on critical thinking, writing skills, and student engagement. The podcast explores topics like gamification, AI feedback, community of inquiry, and the future of education technology.
Packback uses AI to coach students, helping them build critical thinking and writing skills.
Packback evolved from textbook affordability to facilitating engaging student discussions using AI.
AI tools by Packback enhance writing skills, freeing faculty to focus on evaluating content and ideas.
Deep dives
Packback: Empowering Students with AI Feedback
Packback is a platform that supports students with writing and discussion, backed by AI feedback that they receive in real-time, focusing on empowering them with the technology to improve their work. By leading with feedback, students are coached to build their critical thinking and writing skills, aiming for success before submitting their work. This approach not only benefits students by enhancing their writing capabilities but also aids faculty in spending more time engaging with students' ideas rather than correcting errors, fostering a more insightful learning experience.
Founding of Packback and Evolution towards Algorithmic Coaching
Packback, initially founded in college to make textbooks more affordable, organically evolved into a platform focused on student discussions. Observations of students posting engaging questions led to the development of algorithmic coaching to enhance content quality and motivation. Moving from peer-based discussions to a curriculum tool, Packback implemented inquiry-based discussions using AI to facilitate sustainable and manageable educational practices inspired by the Communities of Inquiry model by Dr. Randy Garrison.
AI's Role in Enhancing Writing Skills and Faculty Engagement
Packback's AI tools extend beyond peer discussions to long-form writing with detailed feedback on essays and reports, aligning with instructors' rubrics and allowing students to improve their writing mechanics and research quality in real-time. The use of AI serves to raise the baseline of student work quality, freeing faculty from time-consuming tasks like correcting grammar errors to focus on evaluating content and ideas, enhancing student and faculty engagement and motivation through meaningful interactions.
Advancing Equity through Educational Tools
Advancing equity in education lies in developing tools that bring every student to a foundational level where they can explore their capabilities. By guiding students towards self-motivation, critical thinking, and strong writing skills, these tools aim to equip students for success in their academic and personal goals. Companies are focusing on creating specific applications integrated with GPT models, highlighting the importance of solving real problems and catering to user needs for long-term success.
Future of AI in Education and New Media Forms
The evolution of AI in education is poised to redefine concepts of plagiarism and cheating. Educational institutions are facing a shift towards investing in AI tools that provide real-time feedback and support students' writing skills, rather than solely focusing on plagiarism detection. This transition signifies a move towards maximizing student potential through technology. Additionally, AI is expected to foster the creation of new genres in media production by introducing interactive elements and enabling sophisticated levels of planning and creation.
Jessica Tenuta is the Chief Product Officer and Cofounder of Packback, where she works with engineering, design, and support teams to design a product experience that fuels student curiosity and builds more confident writers. Outside of her time at Packback Jessica is the cofounder and creative director of Play Together, a Chicago-based non-profit art-and-music label that produces limited edition collaborations between a visual artist and a musical artist, with proceeds benefiting a selected Chicago arts education program. Jess has been featured in Forbes, the Chicago Sun Times, Fast Company, the Techweek 100, TEDx, and Chicago Inno.
Packback is an award-winning learning platform for improving writing, critical thinking, and motivation skills. Unlike generative AI models, which power tools like ChatGPT and can be used to generate complete passages of text on behalf of a user, Packback uses AI to coach students to build their critical thinking and writing skills.
Get ready to explore the future of education! Join Edtech Insiders for a virtual conference featuring 30+ of the top voices shaping the future of Al + Education. A full day of keynote speakers, panel discussions, and networking!
