Using Padlet in teaching: A reflection on purpose and practice

Using Padlet in teaching: A reflection on purpose and practice

 

By: Dr Anna De Amicis, Henley Business School, a.deamicis2@reading.ac.uk

In the years since the pandemic, digital platforms have become a familiar presence in university classrooms. Padlet, Miro and Mentimeter are often presented as ways to boost interaction, make lectures more engaging, and give students new ways to share ideas. But their effectiveness depends less on the technology itself and more on how we, as educators, choose to integrate them.

Why Padlet?

When I introduced Padlet into my social enterprise teaching, my aim was not simply to try out the latest tool. I wanted to encourage more discussion, present concepts visually, and make students’ contributions visible and connected.

Padlet offered a creative space, a digital canvas where students could post images, examples and reflections. It promised to energise the classroom, turning abstract concepts like “mission statements” into something students could critique, rework and co-create together.

What worked (and what didn’t)

In practice, some aspects worked well. When I co-facilitated with a colleague (Jacqueline Fairbairn from CQSD-TEL), the prompt was better received, and students were more responsive. Structured tasks – such as asking students first to find a mission statement, then critique it, then collaborate on improvements – helped scaffold their learning. In these moments, Padlet supported active engagement. Frameworks can help here as shown in the Padlet engagement framework (see Figure 1.1), which sets out clear activity sequences from individual reflection through to group co-creation and evaluation.

Padlet engagement framework diagram showing four structured activity sequences for classroom use. The left side is divided into “Scaffolding individual participation” and “Scaffolding collaborative participation.” Activities include: (1) individual response, (2) paired/group discussion, (3) paired/group co-creation of posts, and (4) peer review. Each activity outlines steps such as posing a question, displaying a joining URL or QR code, and using Padlet for posting and discussion. The right side includes a “Finisher: the plenary” section with guidance on effective wrap-up strategies, including asking open questions and avoiding redirection of posts.
Figure 1.1. .Padlet engagement framework. For an enhanced version with contextualised information, see Fairbairn (2025).

However, there were also times when Padlet fell flat. Used as a quick ten-minute add-on, it disrupted the lecture flow. Students sometimes saw it as “extra work” rather than as part of the lesson. Interestingly, in sessions where we focused purely on facilitation and dialogue, the energy and depth of conversation were even stronger.

Lessons learned

The experience underscored an important point: the value of a digital tool depends on how well it is aligned with the purpose of the session. Students engage most when they clearly see the relevance of an activity and how it links to their learning outcomes.

This is not so much a limitation of Padlet as a reminder for us as lecturers to be intentional. Any classroom activity (whether digital or low-tech) needs meaningful design, clear integration, and facilitation that draws students in. Sometimes, the simplest methods can achieve just as much as a digital platform.

Wider implications

In business education, and particularly in teaching vocational modules, we often emphasise using resources wisely and with purpose. The same principle applies to teaching practice. Innovation in the classroom is not about adopting every new platform but about making deliberate choices that serve our students’ learning.

Digital tools have become part of higher education, and many can be genuinely valuable. But adopting tools because they look innovative is best avoided. What matters is that students experience activities as meaningful, purposeful, and connected to their learning journey.

Reflections

Padlet reminded me of a simple truth: students want to understand the value of what we ask them to do. They respond positively when they see how an activity supports their learning.

So, the real question may not be whether we need Padlet, but how we, as educators, design experiences that are intentional and values led. Technology can play an important role, but only as part of thoughtful, purposeful teaching practice.


References and resources

Padlet & STEM notation: How can you make polls with a program source code on Padlet?

Padlet & STEM notation: How can you make polls with a program source code on Padlet?

 

By: Dr Alan Guedes, School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences, a.guedes@reading.ac.uk

 

As a computer science lecturer, I am required to show programming source codes in my lectures, particularly for in-class activities like quizzes (e.g. “Determine the output of the following code” or “Identify the logical error within this code”). These quizzes allow me a do an in-class knowledge check for the students.

The recent support for Padlet at the University of Reading prompted me an investigation into an effective approach for displaying a source code in Padlet. However, it became apparent that Padlet is not explicitly designed for this purpose. My initial attempt involved directly placing the source code into a post’s title (image below), but this revealed the limitation of Padlet titles do not support multi-line text. In the following sections, I will share some options I discovered.

Screenshot of a poll creation interface titled “Poll.” The Java code snippet is formatted in a single line with line breaks, showing overloaded add methods and a call to add(2.5, 2). Below the code are multiple-choice options represented by radio buttons arranged in two rows.
Figure 1.1. Pasting source code into the title of a Padlet post

Option 1: Uploading code as a text file

This approach involves using two Padlet posts (image below), where one post is dedicated to an uploaded source code file and other for the poll. The advantage of this method is that it generates syntax colouring for the code, which significantly enhances student readability. However, it presents two drawbacks. First, it requires an additional post solely for the poll, since a single post cannot accommodate both the file and the poll. So, the second post should “refer” to the one before. Second, it suffers from resolution degradation when viewed on mobile devices, what may require students do a second click to “open the file” and improve readability.

Screenshot of a coding question posted by a teacher named Alan Guedes. The question asks, “What is the output of the code below?” followed by a Java code snippet with overloaded add methods for integers and doubles, and a call to add(2.5, 2). Multiple-choice options are 2.5, 2, 4, and 4.5. No votes or comments are present.
Figure 1.2. Using two Padlet posts

Option 2: Code block in the body

This solution involves use only post, which has the code inside its body (Figure 1.3). The post title should remain concise and directly address the quiz query. The source code is then added as a “code block” within the body of the post. This method ensures student readability by preserving indentation and utilizing a monospace font, characteristics common in programming editors.

While this represents a good solution, it has one drawback: it has been observed that Padlet’s default layouts may automatically wrap longer lines of code (Figure 1.4). This can complicate student readability.

Coding question interface showing a multiple-choice question: “What is the output of the code below?” Options are 2.5, 2, 4, and 4.5. The code block includes two overloaded add functions—one for integers and one for doubles—and a call to System.out.println(add(2.5, 2));.
Figure 1.3. Inputting the code block in the body of a post
Screenshot of a coding question displayed in a two-section layout labeled “Section 1” and “Section 2.” Section 1 contains the same Java code snippet and multiple-choice question as Image 1. Section 2 is empty.
Figure 1.4. Code block displayed without text wrapping

To mitigate this issue, the “stream” layout is identified as the optimal configuration. This layout (Figures 1.5 & 1.6) will render content vertically without unnecessary text wrapping, thereby maintaining the readability of the source code.

Screenshot of an application’s appearance settings. Options include wallpaper set to dark, color scheme set to light, font set to Alba, and post size set to standard. Layout format is set to “stream,” with an arrow indicating selection. Group posts by section is toggled on, sorting is set to drag and drop, and new posts appear first. Comments and reactions are enabled.
Figure 1.5. Selecting the text wrapping option
Screenshot of a coding question posted by a teacher named Alan Guedes. The question asks, “What is the output of the code below?” followed by a Java code snippet with overloaded add methods for integers and doubles, and a call to add(2.5, 2). Multiple-choice options are 2.5, 2, 4, and 4.5. No votes or comments are present.
Figure 1.6. The “stream” post with text wrapping enabled

Final remarks

In conclusion, while Padlet may not be inherently designed for showing source code, the file upload and code block options are viable for displaying source code. These methods can be beneficial for lecturers conducting in-class activities involving source code.

If you have a query about the institutional Padlet, please raise a ticket with the TEL Team.


If you’re a University of Reading staff member, you can watch the recording of Alan’s presentation about notation in Padlet by selecting the following link: TEL: Showcase: Power Up your Teaching with Padlet.