
What is Padlet TA?
Padlet TA is an AI-powered freemium companion to Padlet; that allows you to quickly design and adapt teaching activities for active learning, personalisation, and asynchronous engagement. It is particularly useful when you need to ideate quickly, adapt your teaching in the moment, or generate a range of active learning tasks for different contexts.
It is not an institutional service in its own right, it is a freemium service accessed via your institutional Padlet dashboard. Therefore, you should familiarise yourself with the cautionary guidance on this webpage and advice to mitigate risks.
See our Padlet of Examples of Padlet TA generated materials to see the possible uses in HE teaching.
Access To Padlet TA
Padlet TA is available via the institutional Padlet dashboard (staff only) or directly via ta.padlet.com (staff and students can access this url, no login required).
There is currently no Blackboard integration for Padlet TA, instead, you can share outputs with students by copying a direct link and adding it to your Blackboard Ultra module (the activity will open in a new browser tab). Additionally, the interactive learning activities allow you to share via a QR code, for quick access via a mobile device.
When to use Blackboard instead
In many cases, Blackboard Ultra tools (including Blackboard’s own AI features) may be more appropriate than Padlet TA. You may want to prioritise Blackboard when you:
- Need stable, repeatable activities that will be reused across cohorts or years.
- Require engagement tracking, grades, or analytics.
- Are running high-stakes assessments or activities that directly inform marks.
- Need to align closely with institutional templates, structures, and quality assurance processes.
Pedagogic framing and example uses
There is increasing emphasis on active learning and meaningful asynchronous engagement in HE. Padlet TA can help you explore these priorities quickly by suggesting activities and generating materials that you can adapt for your context.
Examples of how you might use Padlet TA include:
- In-class activities: generating think–pair–share prompts, exit tickets, debate topics, or quick quizzes in response to student questions.
- Asynchronous work: creating short activities that students can complete between sessions, then sharing the link in Blackboard.
- Personalised study tasks: producing differentiated practice activities for students who need more challenge or more scaffolded support.
- Resource drafting: creating initial versions of lesson plans, rubrics, or checklists which you then align with CQSD guidance and refine.
In all cases, Padlet TA should be seen as a co-designer rather than a replacement for your professional judgement. You remain responsible for reviewing, adapting, and approving any materials before they are shared with students.
Limitations and cautions
Although TDA approved for use at the university, there are some important limitations to be aware of:
- Padlet TA is a beta freemium service, meaning the features and interface elements may change without notice.
- There is no direct integration with Blackboard Ultra, and no built-in gradebook or analytics tracking.
- It is not suitable for facilitation of summative assessment design or activities where long-term stability is essential. Instead, we recommend using Padlet TA mainly for exploratory, low-stakes, or one-off learning activities, and as a starting point for plans you will refine using University guidance (for example, CQSD resources).
Data protection, privacy and responsible use
Padlet TA is provided by Padlet and is not an institutional service. When using it, you must follow University guidance on the responsible use of Gen AI and AI meeting tools. In particular:
- Do not enter personally identifiable information about students, colleagues, or yourself.
- Do not upload or paste sensitive data (for example, marks, medical information, or detailed case notes).
- Treat anything you generate as a draft until you have checked it for accuracy, bias, and appropriateness.
Padlet TA is covered under Padlet's existing Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. For more information, please refer to:
- Padlet’s own privacy and data protection documentation; there is a section about AI and Padlet TA in this area of Padlet's Privacy Policy. https://legal.padlet.com/privacy#whom-do-we-share-the-collected-information-with
- DTS / University guidance on using AI tools safely and ethically.
If you are unsure whether a particular use case is appropriate, seek advice from IMPS or DTS before proceeding.
Accessibility info
Padlet TA follows the same accessibility framework and principles as Padlet's main platform. Accessibility improvements, including screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and alternative text for images, are in continuous development and apply across all Padlet products, including TA.
Support and further guidance
If you experience technical issues with Padlet TA itself, you may need to consult Padlet’s own support materials, as this freemium tool is not a centrally supported institutional product (such as Blackboard Ultra or the institutional Padlet licence).
