What is a Follow-Up Assignment in Deep Dives?
Follow-Up Assignments in Packback Deep Dives let instructors connect one assignment to another, so students can build on their previous work instead of starting over. This feature is especially useful for multi-step writing projects, drafts that develop into final submissions, or assignments that build skills over time.
- Step-by-Step Instructions for Setting Up a Follow Up Assignment
- Why use a Follow Up Assignment?
- What will students see?
Step-by-Step Instructions for Setting Up a Follow Up Assignment
When creating a Deep Dive assignment, instructors can now choose the starting point for student work:
- New Document – Students begin with a blank draft.
- Follow-Up Assignment – Students begin with their most recent submission from a previous Deep Dive. Their writing, sources, and materials carry over, so their past work becomes the starting point for the new assignment.
When selecting Follow-Up Assignment, instructors will see a dropdown menu of all existing Deep Dive assignments in that community. Choosing one links the new assignment to the selected past assignment.
When students click “Start My Deep Dive” in the new follow-up assignment, Packback copies over their most up-to-date submission from the past assignment. This allows students to pick up where they left off, so they can build on their past work and reference any feedback they received on their work previously.
Why Use a Follow-Up Assignment?
Follow-ups are great for multi-stage writing or projects where students need to:
- Submit a draft first, then a final version later.
- Build on past research or writing across multiple checkpoints.
- Receive grades and feedback at each stage of the process.
Because follow-ups are entirely new assignments, instructors can:
- Set unique start/end dates.
- Use a different prompt or rubric.
- Apply different grading expectations (for example, lighter grading for a draft, more rigorous grading for a final submission).
What Will Students See?
Students can easily identify a follow-up assignment:
- On the community homepage and writing assignments list page, follow-up assignments will have a label on the assignment tiles, so students will know before they enter the assignment
- The assignment’s main page will clearly indicate that it is a follow-up in multiple places
- When they click “Start my Deep Dive,” they’ll be notified that their past submission is about to be copied over.
Students can then continue refining their work while referencing:
- Their evaluations and feedback from the earlier assignment, available under “Your Resources” while drafting.
Their carried-over sources, writing, and notes from the previous assignment.