Answers Written on the Wall

A pair of Academic Computing Technology (ACT) staffers in Shenandoah University’s Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology (CTLT) are preparing to implement a system that will make it easier for faculty to get answers to common classroom technology questions.

Val Gangwer, an ACT coordinator based at Shenandoah’s main campus in Winchester, and Sabrina Hines, an ACT technician based at Scholar Plaza, Loudoun, presented “Get Your Answer Right Now with QR Codes” in March at the Virginia chapter conference for the Association of College Computing Services in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The presentation covered the pair’s program, in which they are creating short video tutorials that can be accessed through a quick response (QR) code by anyone with a phone with a camera, internet browser or QR code-reading app.

Inspiration from China

Hines saw the power of QR codes in action during a 2013 visit to China. “I was shocked when I arrived in China in 2013 because QR codes were everywhere; I thought this new technology died like it did in the U.S.,” she said. “But it was everywhere, on the inside and outside of buses, boats, trains, planes, subways and taxi cars. I would scan these QR codes and see more information than what was posted in an advertisement. But now in the U.S., it’s making a comeback, and rightfully so. Who has the time to type in a URL to gain further information about an item of interest? I sure don’t, and the older I get the less I want to type. I either want to scan something or [use] voice command for more information.”

With that in mind, she and Gangwer decided to create QR codes that link to video tutorials they’ve made about connecting iPads and laptops to the Apple TVs in classrooms, and how to use the video conferencing technology Zoom in classrooms. With the QR codes in place, faculty teaching classes after regular business hours who have reached a technological impasse can easily access the answers they need.

Quick video tutorials

Gangwer said the videos currently address the most common classroom tech-related questions, which are about connecting to the Apple TV and using Zoom. If additional questions arise, she said they will likely create tutorials to answer those, as well.

A Positive Response

While the full rollout of the codes is still forthcoming, Hines said the response she’s seen with administrators has been good. “So far I haven’t receive any push back from the administrators I have trained on the use of the QR codes. For example, I had individual ask about a Zoom meeting – she wanted to set up one in a classroom. She needed more information on how to operate a Zoom call. I went into her office show her the QR code and asked her to scan it with her camera, even though she did have a QR code reader, but I told her she could use her iPhone if it’s later than an iPhone 6. She scanned the code, viewed the video, and said it was helpful.”

As the year advances, keep an eye out for small posters outfitted with QR codes on the walls of Shenandoah’s academic spaces, and get ready to receive the answers you need in no time at all.