The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

The Purdue University Campus Arboretum is implementing QR code technology to support and extend student learning. Smart phone users will now be able to use their personal handheld devices to access location based plant information through the use of QR codes displayed on plant signage. A QR code’s ability to link the physical world with the virtual supports the type of experiential learning common to botanical gardens and arboreta. The codes offer expanded pedagogical value in applications that encourage students to create and contribute their own content to the learning experience. QR codes, short for quick response codes, and QR readers can connect users to location relevant educational content.  The codes can be easily de-coded by any mobile camera phone that has a QR reader, which is freely available online for most devices. Once the code is read, the user is directed to a specified web page where they can learn about an object that has been tagged, a practice known as "mobile-tagging." In the arboretum, QR codes will direct students and visitors to the arboretum website where information about location specific plants will be available. Users will have immediate access to a plant’s identification characteristics, landscape value, cultural requirements, and maintenance needs. In addition, students will be able to create their own location and time-relevant content through access to social networks, where they can post comments on virtual walls associated with locations. They can use such platforms to reflect on their experiences, document their observations, and connect with other learners in specific courses to share information as they study a particular plant. The idea of linking specific objects to information is not new, but QR codes combine simple and affordable creation with real-time, easy access. As a result, QR codes could inspire extensive thinking and innovation around the development of learning resources connected to locations and objects in informal learning environments like botanic gardens and arboreta.