Humber Learning Consortium Review: QR Codes

QR codes are an increasingly familiar feature in daily life – small square patterns of irregular blocks found on letters, and promotional materials etc. Up until now none of us at HLC had really considered their potential application in recruiting learners, the role that they can play in the learning experience, or simply promoting our organisation.

The concept is actually pretty simple. The QR code is scanned by a smartphone (the scanning apps are free, we used “i-nigma”) and this provides a link to a website, telephone number, Google map location, Facebook page, Twitter feed, in fact a whole host of information you might want to convey to a learner / customer.

You need 2 things to make it work – access to the internet to generate the QR code on a QR website
(www.qrstuff.com) and a smart phone that can read the QR code (and link it to a website, telephone number etc.)

Positives

• If you / your learners have internet access and a smart phone, this is a really quick and simple application to use
• It could be used in a wide variety of ways e.g. providing a link to further information about a course, sending directions, or encouraging learners to visit a specific website as part of their learning experience
• The QR code can be embedded in learning materials, sent in an email, or hosted on a website making the learning experience potentially more interactive

Negatives

• Learner needs a smart phone to access the information within the QR code, which is a major limitation
• QR codes could be seen a gimmicky

Overall

We liked QR codes and could really see their application in a variety of settings. We need to be mindful that their reliance on the learner / customer having a smart phone with an app that can read the QR code could limit their accessibility and usage. We therefore feel that their use needs to be carefully thought out and alternative ways of accessing information considered for those without a smart phone