January 25, 2023

Week 2 Feedback on Gilgamesh
Updated: June 5, 2024

Packback’s real-time feedback helps you target and achieve the curiosity score you want.

Some strong posts on Gilgamesh. Well done. We had quite a few post nothing this week, which scores you a zero. One of these will not hurt you too much, but you want to make sure you’re meeting your deadlines. Be sure you pay attention to the schedule and due dates. Remember Tuesdays as they are your due day this semester. While you won’t be posting every week, you need to be sure you’re keeping up with these Packback posts.

If you scored lower than 70, you did not post your minimum of three times (1 question and 2 responses). If you scored a 70, you passed for doing the minimum, but your posts need more work. Pay attention to the “curiosity score”; this is often a strong indicator of the quality of your post. More often than not, I use these numbers in my evaluation. This feature is the primary reason for using Packback: aim for the grade you want in your posts. Pay attention to the real-time feedback (see the image) Packback gives as you write. If your grade is lower than you’d like, let Packback help you.

Also, I continue to receive email about this assignment, so let me clarify again: no, you do not have to respond to my questions as long as you’re posting the minimum required to Packback. However, I advise you to at least look at my questions as they might give some insight as to what to expect on the test.

Some of you are still not indicating which specific part(s) of your posts your sources refer to. Please see my previous feedback.

I have some positive hits from some of your posts when checking for AI-assisted writing. If this is you, I indicated as much in my feedback. You lost some points this time, but if I continue to get positive hits for AI, grades will get worse and/or other disciplinary actions will be taken. (See Plagiarism » AI Tools.)

Finally, I want to encourage you to be creative in your posts. Yes, sticking with convention readings may be safer, but try something unusual or weird. Discuss aspects of the texts that no one else is—even if you’re wrong, original and creative interpretations at least get everyone else to think more critically about the texts. If you're having difficulty trying to come up with something to write, try a reader-response. Here, you find something about the text that relates to your life and experience. Not only is this approach a bit more accessible, it allows you to write about your favorite subject: yourself.

Spring 2023 Addendum

It has been brought to my attention that the true due date stated on the syllabus (Tuesdays @ 11:59) does not correspond with the dues date on Packback (Wednesdays @ 11:59). The deadline must stay on Tuesdays, so I have corrected this error on Packback, though you still may see a Wednesday due date for the next week or two. If you posted for this assignment and I did not count it because of this due date issue, please let me know and I will give you credit. Sorry for the mixup.