Transitioning from Packback to Harmonize

Overview

Harmonize supports the same core learning goals as Packback—curiosity, inquiry, revision, and student-driven discussion—while offering more flexibility across discussion boards and individual writing assignments. This guide walks you through how to translate your existing Packback practices into Harmonize.

What Stays the Same

If you are used to Packback, much of your pedagogy will transfer directly.

In Harmonize, students can:

• Post discussion questions and respond to peers
• Revise their work before final submission
• Receive AI-supported feedback aligned to instructor expectations
• Be evaluated on the quality of thinking rather than “right answers”

The main difference is where those expectations live.

• In Packback, criteria like “curiosity” are built into the system.
• In Harmonize, you define them through rubrics.

Key Difference: How Quality Is Defined

Packback uses a system-defined scoring model (e.g., Curiosity Score).

Harmonize uses rubric-aligned evaluation and coaching.

This gives you:

• More control over what counts as a strong question or response
• Clearer transparency for students
• The ability to align discussions and writing with disciplinary goals

The tradeoff is that instructors must make criteria explicit in their instructions and then create rubrics that codify expectations.

The good news is that Harmonize offers assistance with both prompt and rubric generation. You can fine tune the results as desired. In this guide, we will also offer some templates you can use.

Migrating Discussion or Writing Activities to Harmonize

Step 1: Choose Your Harmonize Activity Type

• To mirror Packback Discussions, create a Graded Harmonize Discussion in which you ask students to post questions and then answer others' questions.
• To mirror Packback Writing, create an Harmonize Individual Assignment in which you ask students to draft and revise their writing.

Step 2: Create a Prompt

Think about everything you LOVE about PackBack and try putting that in the Harmonize Brainstorming tool. Alternatively, you can Write Your Own Instructions.

If you like Packback's coaching model for discussions, we recommend creating assignment instructions that focus on Open-Ended Inquiry, Intellectual Curiosity, Engagement with Course Material, Context or Evidence, and Discussion Potential.

If you like Packback's coaching model for writing, we recommend creating assignment instructions that focus on Language Accuracy and Clarity, Development, Length, and Substance, Organization and Coherence, Redundancy and Precision of Expression, Use of Sources and Evidence, Formatting and Conventions.

Alternatively, you can enter a pre-built prompt. See Sample Prompts.

Step 3: Create a Rubric

Rather than having a built-in rubric, Harmonize generates a rubric based on your unique instructions. 

Take time to describe what you want your students to do or try using the Possible Focus Areas below. Harmonize will then generate a rubric that matches your criteria. See Harmonize Rubrics.

Additionally (or instead), you can manually enter your own rubric into Harmonize.

Step 4: Turn on AI Coaching

Instead of telling students how to revise, the coach signals which rubric areas are currently weaker or stronger.

Step 5: Revise Any Focus Areas Marked as "Not Coachable"

If any criteria are flagged as "Not Coachable" by the AI (Human Assessment Required), you can try revising them to make them easier to evaluate. Here are some examples of how you could shift criteria to be more coachable:

• The AI cannot always tell if a source is credible, but it can tell if students have referenced sources.
• The AI cannot always tell if reasoning is sound, but it can tell if a student has explained their reasoning.
• The AI cannot always tell if an answer is accurate or correct, but it can tell if an answer includes examples or data.

Sample Prompts

Sample Prompt 1: Inquiry-driven Discussion

Activity

Engaging in inquiry and dialogue is vital to deepening our understanding of complex subjects. In this activity, you'll have the opportunity to harness your curiosity by posing questions and exploring the answers collaboratively with your peers. Focusing on the topic of [insert relevant topic or subject matter here], consider how your current knowledge intersects with multiple perspectives and real-world implications.

To participate, follow these guidelines:

• Post An Open-Ended Question: Craft a question that encourage exploration of various perspectives, highlight potential implications, or present alternative viewpoints related to the topic. Aim for a question that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" and consider how it can stimulate deeper discussion.
• Provide Insightful Responses: Choose at least two questions posted by your classmates and offer well-reasoned, evidence-based responses. Support your claims with examples, data, or relevant scenarios to enrich the dialogue.

Submission Criteria

• Ensure your question and responses are clearly articulated and presented logically.
• Use proper grammar and syntax to express your ideas effectively.
• Ground your discussion in specific examples or scenarios to provide contextual relevance.

Student Interaction Expectations

• Engage thoughtfully with at least two peers by responding to their questions.
• Draw connections between your insights and theirs, expanding on ideas or offering new perspectives based on your experiences or research.

Sample Prompt 2: Academic Writing

Activity

For this assignment, you will be writing an academic paper on a topic of your choice within the theme we are studying. Your aim is to develop a compelling argument that is well-supported with evidence and articulated with precision.

Consider the following as you write your paper:

• Language Accuracy and Clarity: Pay close attention to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction. Ensure your writing is clear and precise to enhance readability.
• Development, Length, and Substance: Ensure your paper meets the required length and includes well-developed arguments. Use examples and elaborate on ideas to provide a fuller explanation.
• Organization and Coherence: Focus on structuring your paper effectively. Use clear paragraph transitions and a logical progression of ideas to guide the reader through your argument.
• Redundancy and Precision of Expression: Avoid repeating words and ideas. Aim for variety in expression and precision in your language to maintain engagement and clarity.
• Use of Sources and Evidence: Incorporate high-quality sources to support your claims. Highlight the relevance of each source and integrate it seamlessly into your argument. Adhere to proper citation practices.
• Formatting and Conventions: Align your paper with the provided assignment instructions and adhere to institutional or disciplinary formatting standards, including headings, citations, and spacing.

Submission Criteria

• Compose a well-structured academic paper that meets all the criteria listed above.
• Follow the length requirements specified in the assignment instructions.
• Use proper citation and formatting conventions throughout your paper.

Embark on this writing journey with confidence, and let your academic writing skills shine through your thoughtfully crafted argument.

Focus Areas

Sample Focus Area 1: Inquiry-driven Discussion

If you're creating a rubric for an inquiry-driven discussion, you can try these Focus Areas:

• Open-Ended Inquiry and Critical Depth: Crafting questions that explore multiple perspectives and encourage examination of implications, alternatives, or tensions.
• Reasoning, Evidence, and Explanation: Expectations for presenting clear claims and supporting them with examples, data, or sources.
• Contextual Grounding and Specificity: Importance of grounding discussions in specific examples, scenarios, or references relatable to real-world contexts.
• Organization and Presentation: Ability to communicate ideas effectively using proper grammar and syntax. Fluent writing style and logical paragraph flow are essential.

Sample Focus Area 2: Academic Writing

If you're creating a rubric for an academic writing assignment, you can try these Focus Areas:

• Argument Development and Support: Quality of argumentation including clarity, depth, use of evidence, and originality of thought.
• Organization and Coherence: Effective organization of content, logical progression of ideas, and smooth transitions to guide the reader.
• Language Accuracy and Clarity: Correctness in spelling, grammar, and sentence construction, contributing to a clear and precise presentation.
• Argument Development and Support: Quality of argumentation including clarity, depth, use of evidence, and originality of thought.

Grading and Instructor Workflow

If you are coming from Packback, grading in Harmonize may feel more transparent. In Harmonize, instructors can:

• See student work alongside rubric criteria.
• View AI Feedback Results to see how the AI evaluated the student's writing.
• Optional: Use auto-grading to spend less time moderating and more time responding to ideas.
• Canvas users receive a deep LMS integration with the Speedgrader.

Summary: Packback → Harmonize at a Glance

Final Note for Instructors

If Packback worked well for you, Harmonize allows you to keep the same inquiry-driven philosophy—while gaining more flexibility, transparency, and opportunities for student revision across assignments.

You don’t need to reinvent your pedagogy; you just need to make your pedagogy explicit to students through both instructions and rubrics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enter my own Focus Areas and Rubric?

• Yes. See Manually Enter a Rubric in Harmonize.

Can Harmonize support the same kinds of inquiry-driven discussions as Packback?

• Yes. Harmonize can support question-centered, student-driven discussions in which students post questions and respond to peers. The main difference is that Packback builds some quality signals into the platform itself, while Harmonize asks instructors to define those expectations in their prompts and rubrics.

What replaces Packback’s Curiosity Score in Harmonize?

• Rubrics and AI Coaching. Packback uses Curiosity Score and instant AI feedback to evaluate or nudge student posts. In Harmonize, instructors define quality through rubric criteria, and AI Coaching gives students feedback based on that rubric instead of a system-wide scoring model.

Is Harmonize AI Coaching the same as Packback’s AI feedback?

• No. Packback’s AI feedback is tied to Curiosity Score and its built-in discussion model. Harmonize AI Coaching is tied to the instructor’s own rubric, so students get feedback based on the criteria their instructor set for that specific discussion or assignment.

Do I have to use Discussions in Harmonize, or can I also support writing assignments?

• You can do both. Harmonize supports both graded discussions and individual assignments. That means instructors can carry inquiry-based teaching practices into discussion boards, private writing tasks, drafts, and revision-based assignments.

Do I need to create my own rubric in Harmonize?

• Usually, yes, but Harmonize can help. Unlike Packback’s built-in scoring approach, Harmonize typically asks instructors to define their own criteria. Harmonize can generate focus areas and rubrics from assignment instructions, and those can be edited before use.

Can students revise their work in Harmonize after using AI Coaching?

• Yes. Harmonize’s AI Coaching is designed to support self-assessment and revision before final submission. That makes it useful for both inquiry-driven discussions and individual writing assignments where students benefit from revisiting and improving their work.

Will grading feel different after moving from Packback to Harmonize?

• Probably. In Harmonize, grading is generally more transparent because instructors can evaluate student work directly against visible rubric criteria. This can make it easier for students to understand what counts as strong work.

Do I need to change my pedagogy when moving from Packback to Harmonize?

• Not necessarily. In many cases, the teaching approach can stay the same. What usually changes is that instructors need to state their expectations more explicitly in the prompt and rubric, since Harmonize gives instructors more control over how quality is defined.