Today’s educators are, unfortunately, often overwhelmed and don’t have access to the resources they need. As a result, they’re always on the lookout for tools that will make life easier for both themselves and their students.
QR Codes are a simple way to transform the learning experience and streamline classroom communication. They can provide instant access to digital materials and facilitate engagement with a quick smartphone scan, making them an ideal tool for busy educators. And with Bitly, educators can manage, brand, and track all their QR Code resources in one place.
Here, we’ll explore some smart ways to incorporate QR Codes in the classroom for more interactive experiences.
Note: The brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Why QR Codes are useful in modern classrooms
QR Codes may be small, but they offer a number of benefits for busy teachers and their students, especially in today’s tech-driven classrooms. Here’s why they’re so helpful in educational settings.
Educators are juggling limited time and tech tools
Today’s teachers are often stretched thin, with more tasks on their plates than they have the time or resources to manage. Digital tools that remove friction from routine tasks can be more valuable than ever, as they can reduce stress for teachers without compromising the learning experience for students.
QR Codes for teachers require no training to create and use, and they work with students’ existing mobile devices. With QR Codes, teachers can share a wide array of online resources with students in seconds. They’re also helpful for boosting digital engagement in remote or hybrid learning environments.
Bitly’s QR Code generator makes it easy to create, customize, and update QR Codes for nearly any use case. Plus, creating and distributing QR Codes is a quick process, so it won’t add more stress for already overworked teachers.
Students are mobile-first learners
Many students already access content through their smartphones and tablets regularly, especially those in middle school, high school, and college. In fact, nearly half of teens say they’re online almost constantly.
QR Codes help teachers meet students where they are by sharing mobile-friendly content via a quick smartphone scan. Bitly’s Dynamic QR Codes are also trackable, which helps teachers better understand student usage patterns.
Paper and printed materials aren’t enough
QR Codes can extend the learning value of in-class worksheets or take-home materials. Teachers can add a scannable QR Code to these printed materials that links to interactive learning experiences or supplementary materials. You can even use QR Codes to link to accessible content that supports students with disabilities or different learning styles.
With Bitly’s Dynamic QR Codes, you can update the destination URL of each code whenever you need, depending on your plan. This allows you to update digital content without having to reprint your physical materials.
Examples of QR Code use cases that simplify classroom routines
There are countless ways to use QR Codes in the classroom, making daily routines easier for both teachers and students. Here are creative ways to implement this technology in your teaching practices and learning materials.
Link to assignments, syllabi, or rubrics
Teachers can use QR Codes to save paper by linking to online versions of key classroom documents. For example, you could place QR Codes on classroom whiteboards and folders that link to class syllabi and grading rubrics. This way, students can review these key documents at any point throughout the semester.
You could also use QR Codes to link to online homework and quizzes, reducing the need for printed assignments and enabling faster grading with digital tools. Additionally, students who have missed class or lost assignments can scan the QR Code to catch up quickly.
With Bitly Pages, you can compile all your classroom resources into one mobile-friendly hub. Students can scan one QR Code for easy access to all the documents they need for the entire semester.
Display classroom rules or procedures
QR Codes can help you get the entire class on the same page regarding rules and policies. Teachers can place QR Codes on walls or classroom entryways that link to their expectations and behavior policies. Administrators can also place QR Codes in hallways that link to bell schedules and school-wide rules.
This strategy can help create consistency in expectations and discipline. It’s also helpful for substitute teachers, who can scan the QR Code to familiarize themselves with behavior expectations and enforce them appropriately.
When rules and policies change, Bitly makes it simple to update the linked destination, keeping everyone aligned.
Facilitate student check-ins or attendance
QR Codes make taking attendance a breeze. Rather than having teachers take roll call, students can scan a QR Code and fill out a quick form to check in.
Take it a step further and improve student engagement with QR Codes by linking to Google Forms for warm-up activities or collecting anonymous student feedback. Bitly Codes and Links provide teachers with scan and click data, allowing them to track the number of students participating in these classroom initiatives.
Share audio, video, or visual supplements
Multimedia helps teachers provide real-world context for their lessons to enhance student learning. With QR Codes, you can link directly to multimedia assets, including YouTube videos, podcast clips, and infographics.
This approach works particularly well for flipped instruction models where students watch lectures outside of class and use in-class time for collaborative projects.
In addition to QR Codes, you can also use Bitly to create short links for student engagement, giving them an additional way to connect to online instruction modules or supplemental resources.
Short URLs are easier to remember and type, and fit neatly into different formats. They’re also trackable, so they can help you monitor student engagement levels.
Distribute digital badges, quizzes, or games
QR Codes help teachers make the classroom fun and immersive with gamification, which is great for both learning and engagement. In fact, research has found that students tend to have a more positive attitude toward learning difficulties when participating in gamified lessons.
You can post QR Codes linking to Kahoot! challenges and other gamified review activities, as well as digital badges that reward student achievements. They can also link to informal quizzes to test student knowledge.
Since Bitly QR Codes are trackable, you can review scan data to determine how many students engage with these resources.
How to use QR Codes for school-wide communication
QR Codes aren’t just for classroom activities. Educational institutions can also use them to improve communication across the entire school, keeping staff, students, and parents connected and informed. Here’s how:
Post around campus for event updates and schedules
QR Codes are an easy way to keep students updated about events happening on campus, such as pep rallies, sports games, or theater performances. Schools can post QR Codes on hallway signs and posters that link to a consolidated event calendar or distinct calendars for different categories.
This is particularly helpful on college campuses, where multiple events often take place simultaneously. Having a centralized event calendar is convenient for students and staff and encourages them to get involved in extracurricular events. You can also pair this strategy with a higher education texting platform to inform students of updates or changes.
QR Codes are also an easy way to share school-wide information like calendars and lunch menus. Students can simply scan a QR Code to find out when winter break starts or when final grades are expected, instead of asking an administrator or teacher.
Help parents access resources at home
Nearly half of parents say communication from their children’s school isn’t frequent enough, but strategically placed QR Codes can help keep them in the loop about what’s happening at school. Educators can include QR Codes in social media posts, on students’ take-home folders, or in mailed newsletters that link to a parent information hub.
This way, parents can access classroom websites, school forms, reading lists, calendars, and other key information directly on their smartphones. Scanning QR Codes takes seconds, making it easier for busy parents to engage.
Plus, with Bitly Analytics, administrators can track scans in real time to see if and how parents access these materials. If scan volume is low, you can adjust your communication strategy that’s more convenient for parents.
Connect substitute teachers to lesson plans
QR Codes can also help substitute teachers access lesson plans and other classroom resources for more productivity and consistency. Teachers can place QR Codes on binders or whiteboards that link to helpful lesson materials, as well as schedules, emergency plans, and other essential information.
With Bitly Pages, you can even create a dedicated landing page for substitutes, giving them all the resources they need in one place.
Best practices for making QR Codes classroom-ready
QR Codes can be invaluable for educators, but you’ll need to use them strategically to maximize their potential. Keep the following best practices in mind when implementing QR Codes in the classroom or around school to ensure your codes are user-friendly and enhance the learning experience.
Use clear labels and instructions
Label each QR Code with a brief description that tells users what to do and expect, such as “Scan here to check in at the beginning of class,” as this can encourage engagement.
While many people are already comfortable using QR Codes, those who might not be as tech-savvy as teens may need more instruction on how to scan. Consider posting a short step-by-step breakdown next to the QR Code, like:
- Open your smartphone camera.
- Point it at the QR Code.
- Tap the link that pops up.
Use Bitly’s customization features to make your QR Codes look more trustworthy by adding your school’s colors and logo.
Before you create your QR Code, you can also turn the corresponding URL into a custom Bitly short link. You can use your school’s own domain and customize the back half of the link to reflect the QR Code destination, so it might look something like: your.school/check-in.
Test the QR Code before printing or posting
You don’t want a broken link to derail your lesson, so be sure to test your QR Codes before distributing them. Try scanning the QR Code with both iOS and Android devices to ensure it works well on both systems.
Additionally, put yourself in your students’ shoes and try scanning the QR Code from where they’ll be sitting during class. If the QR Code is too small or blurry, it may not scan properly, so make sure you size your codes appropriately and use a high-quality file format like JPEG, PNG, or SVG.
With Bitly, you can see what the QR Code will look like before it goes live, and the platform’s real-time analytics features can also help confirm functionality. Say you send a newsletter home with a QR Code, but it doesn’t receive any scans. It could be a sign that the QR Code isn’t scanning properly.
Keep mobile data usage in mind
Ideally, your students will be connected to school Wi-Fi networks when scanning QR Codes, but realistically, this may not always be the case. When creating your QR Codes, consider linking to lightweight content that won’t eat into student or family data plans.
For example, if there’s a YouTube video you want to share, link to a compressed version rather than the original. PDFs are also a great option, as they tend to have short loading times and can be saved on student devices for future reference.
Alternatively, you can create a Bitly Page hub for your classroom and update it regularly with new information. Bitly Pages are optimized for speed and mobile-friendliness, making them a highly accessible option.
Use Dynamic QR Codes when content may change
Plans may change over the semester, so be sure to use Dynamic QR Codes for added flexibility. Bitly’s Dynamic QR Codes allow you to change the destination at any time, without reprinting or redistributing the QR Code.
This way, you can update things like class calendars, student forms, or educational resources whenever you want—and it takes just seconds with Bitly’s user-friendly platform.
If you’re using multiple QR Codes and short links across your classroom, you can also create a Bitly Campaign to keep them organized for easier updates and tracking.
How to track and learn from engagement data
Since Bitly QR Codes are trackable, they can provide insights into which resources are engaging students and their families most, helping you refine future outreach and engagement strategies. Here’s how to track your QR Code data with Bitly.
Monitor scan trends over time
Scan data helps you see when and how often students access the resources you provide, which can inform you when to send reminders or reinforce important content.
With Bitly, you can track scans in real time and see total scans, scans over time, devices used (iOS/Android), and more. Monitor scan trends to understand how your students engage with your content better.
For example, if you find that students are waiting until the week of finals to scan the study guide QR Code, it may suggest they could benefit from more reminders or in-class study time.
Identify which resources get the most engagement
If you’re using multiple QR Codes in your classroom, monitor scan data for each one to see which resources get the most engagement. This can help you determine what types of content resonate most with your students.
From scan data, you might discover that video tutorials generate more engagement than PDF guides or audio-only recordings. With this insight, you can refine your lesson plans to include more video content, boosting student engagement.
Keep in mind that student preferences and behavioral trends will likely change from year to year, making it important to revisit your QR Code data with each new class. This approach can help you continually improve your lesson plans and student resources for maximum impact.
Spot opportunities for student support
Bitly gives teachers actionable insights without the need for complex reporting tools, and using engagement data, you can potentially identify opportunities to meet students’ needs better before they start falling behind.
Say you put a QR Code that leads to supplementary learning material on a math worksheet. If the code gets high scan rates, it could indicate that students struggled with the homework and may need a refresher or a different approach to the topic.
By adjusting your teaching methods based on student engagement data, you can help them understand the curriculum and perform better on assessments.
Use data to show impact or outcomes
Teachers and administrators can also use scan and click data in reports to highlight program successes or justify investments in digital resources.
For example, if you add QR Codes to homework assignments that link to resources for different learning styles and notice a boost in test scores, the scan data will help you connect the dots and show how your efforts made a difference. With Bitly’s analytics dashboards, exporting data for digital reporting is simple.
Bring QR Code learning to life in education with Bitly
QR Codes are a low-effort, high-impact way to share resources and communicate with your school community. Teachers can use them in the classroom to make learning more interactive and deliver more individualized support, while administrators can use them to keep students and their families updated about goings-on around school.
With Bitly, your QR Codes can do even more. The platform makes it easy to create Dynamic QR Codes that align with your school’s visual identity and help educators, students, and parents stay connected. Plus, you can track every scan to see how your strategy is working and optimize for better results.
Add in Bitly’s short links and no-code landing pages, and you’ll have everything you need to create engaging digital experiences for your students.
Ready to add QR Codes to your classroom? Sign up for Bitly today to get started!
