Mentimeter and Padlet in Practice - TELT Showcase on Interactive Teaching

The Technology Enhanced Learning Team (TELT) recently contributed to a learning and teaching showcase organised by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) on 5th March afternoon. The sessions explored how Mentimeter and Padlet can be used to support interaction and engagement in teaching, particularly in larger classes. 

The showcase consisted of two short sessions, each focusing on a different tool. The first 30-minute session introduced Mentimeter, demonstrating how the platform can be used to run live polls, word clouds and quick feedback activities during lectures. This was followed by a 30-minute Padlet session, where colleagues explored how collaborative boards can support discussion and idea sharing in teaching. 

The sessions were delivered by Lisa Morrison, Senior Lecturer in Non-Profit Management Practice in the School of Business and Management, together with Wenqing Chen (Learning Technologist, Training and Support Team, TELT). 

We would like to thank everyone who attended for their positive feedback and active participation, which made the session engaging and interactive. We are also grateful to Richard Chantler, Faculty Digital Learning Manager in HSS, for inviting TELT to contribute to the showcase and supporting this collaborative opportunity. 

Using Mentimeter to Encourage Participation 

During the first part of the session, Wenqing introduced Mentimeter, an interactive presentation tool that allows lecturers to collect student responses in real time. 

Mentimeter supports a range of interactive activities, including: 

• live polling 

• word clouds 

• quizzes and knowledge checks 

• open-ended responses 

These activities allow lecturers to quickly gather feedback from students, check understanding, and invite students to share their ideas during a session. Because students can respond using their own devices, Mentimeter works particularly well in large lecture environments where traditional discussion can be difficult to facilitate. 

Padlet in Practice: A Teaching Perspective 

The second half of the session focused on Padlet, where Lisa Morrison shared examples from her own teaching practice. 

Lisa demonstrated how Padlet can be used as a shared digital board where students post ideas, reflections or responses to prompts. Students can join quickly by scanning a QR code or accessing a link through QMplus, allowing them to contribute using their own devices. 

In some of Lisa’s modules, class sizes can reach 200-300 students, and teaching often takes place in lecture theatre environments where movement and group work are limited. Padlet provides a practical way to support collaboration in these settings by enabling students to share ideas and view contributions from their peers in real time. 

Designing Activities that Can Be Reused 

Another useful insight Lisa shared was how Padlet activities can be reused across different semesters or cohorts. By using the platform’s “remake” feature, academics can duplicate existing boards and adapt them for new classes while keeping the same activity structure. 

This makes it easier to maintain consistent interactive activities across modules while reducing preparation time. 

Managing Expectations and Explaining the Purpose  

During the discussion, colleagues highlighted the importance of explaining why a particular digital tool is being used. When students understand the purpose of an activity and how it supports their learning, they are more likely to engage with it. 

From a TELT perspective, this is often an important part of integrating learning technology into teaching practice, ensuring that the tool supports the learning design rather than becoming an additional distraction. 

Session Recording 

A recording of the Mentimeter and Padlet showcase sessions may be made available for colleagues who were unable to attend. 

• Mentimeter Session: Wenqing Chen & Lisa Morrison - TELT Talk - Mentimeter: Bringing interactive teaching to life 

• Padlet Session: Wenqing Chen & Lisa Morrison - TELT Talk - Padlet: Empowering Collaborative Learning 

Reflections from TELT 

From a TELT perspective, sessions like this are valuable opportunities to connect teaching practice with digital tools. Hearing directly from colleagues such as Lisa about how these tools work in real classroom contexts provides useful insights for others who may be considering similar approaches. 

We would like to thank everyone who attended for their positive feedback and active participation, which helped make the session engaging and interactive. 

TELT Training and Support 

Following the showcase, TELT will be running hands-on training sessions on Mentimeter and Padlet. These sessions will cover topics such as: 

• setting up Mentimeter and Padlet activities 

• managing student responses  

• designing effective interactive activities 

Details of upcoming sessions will be shared on the CPD training site. 

 

If you would like to ask for the general TELT support, you can: 

• Raise a ticket request via Service Desk 

• Join upcoming TELT CPD training sessions 

• Speak to the TELT team during AskTELT in 20 drop-in sessions 

For the certain Technology’s request, one of our specialists in the team will help you. The team is always happy to discuss ideas and support colleagues who would like to experiment with interactive digital activities in their teaching.