Packback: Setting Up a Community

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This article will review how to set up your Packback Community for a course. First, follow the instructions found in Packback Questions: Adding Packback to D2L to add Packback to your D2L course.

1. Create a new community

Navigate to your D2L course and select the Packback link you created in D2L. Once you select this, your Packback community for the specific D2L course will be created and you will be directed to set up your community for this course. On the landing page, navigate to the bottom and select Create a New Community.

If you are setting up a community for a template (master) course, follow the instructions at Packback: Cloning Packback for a New CRN. If you are connecting a previous community, follow instructions at Packback Questions: Copying an Existing Community.

Image showing a newly created Packback landing page. At the bottom under Create a new Packback discussion community for this course, select the Create a New Community button.

2. Navigate through new community set up

Complete the required information to set up your community. Items marked with an asterisk are required. The first two questions, "Where is this course being taught?", and "What's this course called?" will automatically be pulled from D2L. Next, fill the course catalog number and approximate students in the course.

Image showing the create a new community landing page with questions to be answered: Where is this course being taught?, What’s this course called?, What’s the course catalog number?, and Approximately, how many students are expected in the course?

3. Fill course start date and end date, add optional tags, and review instructors

Fill your course start and end date and add optional tags (just for Packback use, does not transfer to D2L).

Because Packback is integrated with D2L, have any additional instructors access your Packback link through D2L. Do not add them here using the Add Another Instructor button.

Image showing community set up options to be filled: start and end date (you will not be able to change your start date once your community starts), optional subject matter tags, and who is teaching this course (don’t use add another instructor button).

4. Set grade allocation

Set your grade allocation for assignments in this Packback community. *Packback recommends a minimum grade allocation between 10-15% for best results. After this, select the Create a New Community button to finish initial community setup.

The grade allocation here has no impact on grading in Packback nor does it impact the D2L grade book. It is only here to help instructors think about how much they should allocate to Packback for the final grade of the course. No D2L grade is required.

Image showing the Grade Allocation for assignments in Packback section of your community setup. Navigate to the percentage box below “How much of your course’s final grade will assignments for Packback Questions constitute?” to change the percentage for this course. Next showing to select the Create a new community button below this.

5. Your initial community setup is complete. Select Go to community to view your community.

Image showing “Your community is ready for students to access and use” message. Shows connection to D2L course as well as option to “undo this community”. At the bottom is a button “go to community” to view your community.

6. Finish Setting Up Your Community

Please select Dismiss to complete your Packback Community setup.

These options on Finish setting up your community are optional/discouraged. They are intended for those not using Packback with D2L. All Pima instructors use Packback through D2L so these criteria do not apply. All required set up such as students being added to your community will happen automatically through D2L.

Image showing the Finish setting up your community page with an arrow indicated to select the Dismiss button located after the Finish Setup button.

7. Select Manage Assignments

Image showing to select the Manage Assigments button near the Your Discussion Assignments Header.

8. Fill out the required assignment criteria as shown below

8.1. Enter the number of assignments (as applicable, check the box for recurring deadlines)

Image showing the Number of Assignment textbox needing to be filled out.

8.2. Determine if scores will be calculated by points or percentage

Image showing the radial button for points and percent located below the Posting Requirement for each assignment

8.3. Fill out the remaining criteria

You may toggle through the Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced button to get an idea of what range of Curiosity Score you will want to require from your students. For more on Curiosity Score, please see our article Packback Questions: Understanding Curiosity Score.

Image showing the remaining criteria filled out including required posts for questions and replies and their associated curiosity poinst and post percetnage value.

8.4. Select Save and Continue

Image showing to select the Save and Continue button under the total assignment value indicator.

8.5. Your assignments are now created

Image showing the assignments created in the Packback community.

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