Why does mid-semester student feedback matter?<\/h2>\n
Seeking student feedback in the middle of semester is vital in giving educators a chance to improve units while they are still unfolding, to the benefit of existing student cohorts. When mid-semester feedback is actively solicited, and when educators commit to action the feedback received as far as possible, students are more likely to feel respected and invested, because they can see that their experiences matter and are being taken seriously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This strengthens <\/span>trust, engagement, and learning<\/span><\/a>, which in turn demonstrates to students our commitment to better teaching, greater inclusion, and student success. It also sends a powerful pedagogical message: that teaching is relational, responsive, and open to adjustment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One method that we have found particularly helpful in soliciting student feedback, and that our students have reported positively on, is using <\/span>Padlet<\/span><\/a>. As a technology, Padlet offers <\/span>specific design affordances<\/span><\/a> for engaging with student feedback practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Padlet is an online collaborative platform where users can post, organise, and share content on a virtual board. Teachers and students can add text, images, links, videos, documents, voice recordings, and comments in one shared space. Posts can be arranged in different formats, such as a wall, grid, timeline, map, or column layout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Padlet is commonly used in the classroom<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for brainstorming, discussion, <\/span>collaborative learning<\/span><\/a>, group work, and resource sharing. It is simple to access through a link or QR code, and privacy settings let creators control who can view, post, or edit. It is designed to be visual, flexible, and easy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Using Padlet to gather mid-semester feedback offers a range of benefits for students and instructors, making the process more engaging, accessible, and actionable.<\/span><\/p>\n For students, one of the most immediate advantages of Padlet is its ease of use<\/strong>. The platform is intuitive and requires minimal technical knowledge, allowing students to focus on contributing their thoughts rather than navigating complex interfaces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aligning with the <\/span>Universal Design for Learning Guidelines<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>USYD Green Guide<\/span><\/a> for increasing equitable learning experiences, this accessibility lowers barriers to participation<\/strong>, particularly for those who may feel less confident with digital tools. While class time can be given to contributing to the Padlet, the affordances of the technology allow students to easily return and add further ideas over time. This improves access for those who perform better with time to process, reflect and return to express their ideas<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, Padlet\u2019s visually appealing layout – often organised as a wall of colourful or patterned posts, columns, or grids, with comments submitted by Padlet-generated, creative pseudonyms like \u201cBamboo Whisperer\u201d or \u201cSunlit Fjord\u201d – creates a more inviting and less formal space for feedback<\/strong>. Compared to traditional survey formats, it feels more interactive and even enjoyable, encouraging higher levels of engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n The Padlet wall can also be organised around a series of prompting questions like \u201c<\/span>what has been the most interesting reading, topic or activity in the Unit thus far?\u201d, \u201cWhat are your favourite ways to participate in lectures or tutorials?\u201d, \u201cWhat challenges have you faced with the Unit?\u201d, or \u201cWhat is one thing you wish we could do differently?\u201d These can act as \u2018<\/span>metacognitive supportive practices<\/span><\/a>,\u2019 helping students to reflect on their learning growth in an open and inviting way.<\/span><\/p>\n Most importantly, Padlet supports a dialogic<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0or relational form of feedback<\/strong>. Students can see and respond to one another\u2019s comments -agreeing, disagreeing, or building on shared concerns. This creates a sense of collective reflection and can validate individual experiences (e.g. \u201cI\u2019m not the only one struggling with this\u201d, \u201cWhat I see as a weakness is experienced by one of my peers as a strength of this course\u201d, \u201cI can add to that comment from my own experience\u201d). It also encourages students who might otherwise remain silent to contribute, as they can simply endorse (via a ‘hearting’ feature) or expand upon existing posts rather than generate entirely new ones. Crucially, seeing peer comments can reveal to students where the challenges they face are a result of barriers arising from teaching and learning practice, rather than individual student failures.<\/strong><\/span> In these ways, Padlet can build confidence and foster a more participatory feedback culture within and beyond the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n The layered interactions that Padlet enables tend to generate a more nuanced body of contributions than isolated responses typically allow. For example, a single student\u2019s comment about the pace of lectures might be taken up by others who specify which weeks felt rushed, or countered by peers who found the pace appropriate but struggled with a different aspect of the course. The result is not just a list of issues, but a textured understanding of how different students are experiencing the same learning environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This dialogic process also supports the development of critical and reflective skills. Engaging with peers\u2019 perspectives requires students to evaluate, articulate, and sometimes reconsider their own views. In this sense, feedback becomes a <\/span>pedagogical exercise<\/span><\/a> in itself – an opportunity for students to practice respectful critique, to recognise diversity of experience, and to think more carefully about what constitutes effective teaching and learning.<\/span><\/p>\n Padlets are integrated into Canvas<\/strong>, allowing them to become a seamless part of the unit environment, requiring little additional setup (see \u201c4 Steps to a Canvas Padlet” below). Instructors can easily display the Padlet during class and walk through student comments in real time, including explaining what they have actioned on the basis of the comments visible to students. This visibility allows teachers to acknowledge feedback transparently and also to demonstrate that student voices are being taken seriously \u2013 in their own words, and on their own terms.<\/span><\/p>\n Padlet also facilitates the process of \u201c<\/strong><\/span>closing the loop<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> Instructors can respond directly to student posts – clarifying misunderstandings, outlining planned changes, or explaining why certain suggestions may not be feasible. This responsiveness helps build trust and shows students that their input has tangible effects.<\/strong> Rather than feedback disappearing into an anonymous survey system, it becomes part of an ongoing conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n Coupled with an appealing interface and dialogical format, participatory feedback Padlets combine the option of protective anonymity with a more transparent process for students and instructors who co-create the learning space. Transparency fosters a degree of openness and accountability for the instructor and for the group as a whole. If someone expresses difficulty with the classroom climate, the feedback is an invitation for collective reflection on practice.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, Padlet functions as a live document<\/strong> that can be revisited and updated over time. Teachers can return to the board throughout the semester to track recurring themes, monitor the impact of implemented changes, and maintain an open channel for student input. This dynamic quality transforms feedback from a one-off exercise into a continuous, evolving dialogue.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n To sum up, Padlet enhances mid-semester feedback by making it more relational, interactive, inclusive, and transparent. It empowers students to share their perspectives in a supportive environment while equipping teachers with a practical tool to listen, respond, and adapt in meaningful ways. Because students can see others\u2019 comments, common concerns or shared experiences often become visible very quickly. The platform supports short written responses, images, links, and comments, so feedback can be flexible rather than restricted to fixed survey boxes. For instructors, Padlet provides feedback in one organised, easy-to-read space, making themes, patterns, and areas for improvement easier to identify.<\/span><\/p>\n To set up your University of Sydney Padlet account:<\/p>\n Once set up, you can access your account anytime at https:\/\/sydney.padlet.org<\/a>. If you already have a USYD Padlet account, the same steps will sign you in.<\/p>\n There are two ways to bring a Padlet into your Canvas site, and the choice shapes how students encounter it.<\/p>\n Adding a hyperlink to Padlet<\/span><\/span> via Canvas Modules renders the Padlet more visible within the weekly flow of classes and makes it easier for students to locate alongside other weekly materials. This option is ideal for situations when the Padlet is supplementary, optional, or likely to be viewed on different devices, where a full-screen experience is clearer.<\/p>\nWhat is Padlet?<\/h2>\n
What are the advantages for students of using Padlet?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>What about the benefits for educators?<\/h2>\n
Towards relational feedback<\/h2>\n
Setting up Padlet for mid-semester feedback<\/h2>\n
Getting access to a USYD Padlet account<\/h3>\n
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Embedding Padlet in Canvas<\/h3>\n
Option 1: Hyperlink via the Modules page<\/h4>\n
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