How-to-do-it

Scan & Learn! Use of Quick

Response Codes & Smartphones
in a Biology Field Study

J u n - K i L e e , Il - S u n L e e , Yo n g - J u K w o n

Abstract

in a field study searching for information on the flora or fauna at

the field site by collecting, classifying, and identifying, which may
discourage students from what they perceive as a boring, tedious
process. Fourth, communication and group discussion among classmates could prove difficult as distance among students gradually
increases in the field.
Therefore, a more effective, compact storage tool that contains
the same information provided in an illustrated guidebook would
ease the reading and writing (encoding and decoding) of information during a field study. One such effective tool is quick response
coding (Denso Wave Inc., 2003). It provides quick and mobile information out in the field. Also, smartphone social-networking services
could allow students to communicate easily with classmates and
the teacher. Therefore, this study introduces a biology field study
using quick response (QR) codes and social-networking services of
smartphones.
Quick response codes are extremely affordable; they can even
be printed as stickers and temporarily added to teaching materials
for a biology class activity. Moreover, QR codes added to student
Key Words: Teachng biology; biology field study; natural fauna; QR code;
tests could help ensure anonymity in grading (Chaisatien & Akahori,
smartphone.
2006). Use of QR codes can stimulate students scientific-inquiry
learning and social interactions and may lead
them to open forums where they join in comField study, an effective outdoor education
munity discussions about what they have
method, is rooted in the fields of philosophy,
Use of QR codes can
observed or hypothesized.
epistemology, and naturalism (Priest, 1986;
stimulate students
McRae, 1990). Through its use of outdoor
activities, the field study, as a science teaching
JJ What Is a QR Code?
scientific-inquiry learning
method, is an effective way of encouraging stuQuick response codes are two-dimensional
dents to learn about science and make scienand social interactions
bar codes that contain alphanumeric text and
tific content relevant to their real world (Martin
often feature URLs that direct users to sites
et al., 1981).
where they can learn more about a certain object or place. Decoding
However, despite its advantages, the field study is not frequently
software interprets the code found on tools such as camera phones
adopted in current biology classrooms for several reasons. First, dif(Denso Wave Inc., 2003).
ficulty integrating field studies into biology classrooms is correlated
to the burden placed on students; they should carry heavy illustrated guide books during a field study. Second, after identifying
JJ QR Code Types
collected species, students must record vast amounts of information
There are three major content types or actions associated with
about the observed, collected species in order to present findings at
QR codes (see Figure 1) that can be viewed on mobile devices.
the end of a field study. Third, students spend much of their time

The purpose of this article is to introduce and develop a teaching method and
process that incorporates quick response (QR) codes and smartphones into field
trips for biology classes. The teaching process using QR codes and smartphones
consisted of four steps. The first step was the selection of a suitable field study site
and identification of species at the site. For this study, a tidal mudflat in Korea
was selected and 24 species were identified at the field site. The second step was
the generation by the instructor of QR codes for the 24 species, construction of
QR code sheets for the species, and installation of a QR code decoding app
on students smartphones. In step 3, students explored and identified species at
the field study site using the QR code sheets and shared their results with classmates via a social network system (SNS). The final step was the presentation
and discussion of results in follow-up classes. The teaching method developed for
this study led to active classroom discussion via smartphone social-networking
services. Besides detailing the scan and learn teaching method and process,
the paper offers a quick checklist for teachers and simplified specifics for the
creation of a customized and illustrative field-study guidebook that motivates
students.

The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 73, No. 8, pages 485492. ISSN 0002-7685, electronic ISSN 1938-4211. 2011 by National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved.
Request permission to photocopy or reproduce article content at the University of California Presss Rights and Permissions Web site at www.ucpressjournals.com/reprintinfo.asp.
DOI: 10.1525/abt.2011.73.8.11

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Figure 1. Three major content types or actions associated with QR codes.

The first type (Figure 1A) provides additional text information.
It is a text-format-type QR code (e.g., journal name). The second
type (Figure 1B) is a link to a web resource (URL). In the present
study, the URL-type QR code is a link to the American Biology
Teacher website in the URL format (http://www.bioone.org/loi/
ambt). The third type (Figure 1C) provides additional Geo location information. For Figure 1C, the Geo location type QR code is
Boston, MA, USA in Google map format. However, it could have
also been given in GPS-coordinate format. Here, a more effective
and appealing approach to field studies using smartphones and
QR codes is introduced.

Materials & Methods

JJ

Step 1: Study-Site Selection & Species Diversity

Identification
(1) Selecting a suitable field study site. The first step is to select a
suitable field study site in which students explore natural fauna
or flora. The site should be a safe place to explore, observe, and
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collect various species with ecological and biological diversity. In

addition, teachers might consider ecological significance when
selecting a field study site. For this study, Baekripo, wonderful
tidal mudflats on South Koreas west coast, was selected as the
field study site.
(2) Identifying species diversity. After selecting the field study site,
the class teacher must collect information on the fauna and ecology
of the site. The information should include a list of species, scientific names for each of the species, collection methods and safety
notices, and detailed features of each species. This study collected
and identified various species known to inhabit the selected site. The
researchers then chose 24 of the identified species for their likelihood of being encountered by students during the actual field study
session (see Appendix 1).

Step 2: QR Code Sheet C

reation & App Installation
(1) Generating QR code. To generate a QR code sheet for this
field study, reseachers put information on the 24 selected species as QR codes. This process of encoding can be done on both

The american biology teacher volume 73, No. 8, October 2011

computers and smartphones (Figure 2). QR code generation is a

relatively easy process. After opening a QR-code-generating website (most QR code generators are free), input the information
you want encoded in text form by typing it in the space provided. The website will change the text content into a QR code
and store the code as an image file. QR codes can also be created with smartphones in much the same manner after installing
an encoding application (app) such as iEncoder for iPhone
(Figure 2). This study generated QR codes for information on

the 24 selected species via the website. In other words, the study
created 24 image files.
(2) Making a QR code sheet. At this step, the teacher needs to correlate
and arrange the selected species generated QR codes and respective
photos on letter-size paper to create a QR code sheet. The number of
species selected by a teacher depends on the available study time at a
field site and the biological diversity of the selected site. In this study,
a laminated and clearly illustrated QR code sheet that detailed

Figure 2. QR code generation and app installation.

Figure 3. Various QR-code-decoding apps for smart phones.

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QR codes and photos of the selected 24 species was created (see

Appendix 1).
(3) Installing a QR-code-decoding app on a smartphone. There are various QR-code-decoding apps available for each type of smartphone
OS (operating system). Students are free to select and install any
appropriate app from App Store, Android Market, OVI Store, and
Blackberry App World (Figure 3). Most QR code decoding apps are
free and perform well.

Step 3. Conducting Field Study Activities

(1) Exploring and identifying observed species. During this step, students explore the field site by referring to the QR code sheet and
their smartphone instead of a traditional illustrated guidebook
to the natural fauna (Figure 4). The study targeted high school
students; however, the activity could be useful for other grades
as well.

After taking pictures of found species, students identify the names

of the species. Then they decode the QR codes of the identified species
by scanning appropriate QR codes on the code sheet using their smartphones. In addition to easing various burdens, this process also facilitates the storing of information. Each species discovered by students
and its associated information are automatically stored in the students
smartphones through the QR-code-decoding app. In other words, students can first view information by taking or scanning a QR-code image
on their smartphones, and then later review the species information by
reopening the decoding app. Though each app acts slightly different,
they are all basically similar in process.
For the Apple iPhone app (QR reader), the process is as follows:
first, students select the QR reader and run the app by touch. Students then point the mobile device at a QR code on the QR code
sheet to obtain more concrete information on the fauna at the field
study site. Finally, the mobile device scans the QR code and displays its associated text information (Figure 5).
(2) Result sharing and discussion via a social netorking service.
Most smartphone QR-code-decoding apps not only support
direct-messaging services but also have a social networking service
(SNS). Teachers can take advantage of these SNS services in the
field by having students discuss among themselves via an SNS. At
the field study site, students can share exploration results quickly
and easily. In addition, they can dicuss results more actively using
SNS technology. For instance, students can share decoding results
about collected species using SNSs such as Twitter or Facebook on
their smartphones (Figure 6). More importantly, they are able to discuss observed species in real time by posting comments on SNSs.

Step 4: Student Presentations & Discussions

inFollow-up Classes

Figure 4. Students actual exploration activity at the Baekripo

tidal mudflats.

After a field study, the teacher should arrange a follow-up class to

discuss the field study. During this class, the teacher can guide students on the presentation and discussion of their individual and
group field-study findings using the information shared on SNSs
such as Twitter and Facebook.

Figure 5. Decoding observed species QR codes by scanning images on a QR code sheet via a smartphone app.
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Figure 6. Result-sharing and comment-posting on social networking services.

Discussion & Suggested Applications

Acknowledgments

JJ

JJ

Using QR codes and smartphones in biology classes may provide

the following advantages. Above all, teachers can create customized, illustrated guidebooks for selected field study sites that are
straightforward to use and appropriate for their students level.
Also, students can effectively learn about natural fauna because the
QR code sheets and smartphones contain only central information
information on the most prominent species at the field study site.
Traditionally, illustrated field guides contain a huge amount of complex information on a number of various species, most of which is
unrelated to the actual field study site.
Because todays digital generation may be more stimulated by
digital mobile devices than by traditional verbal and written presentations (Small & Vorgan, 2008), learning via QR-code-decoding
on smartphones may more effectively motivate interest in learning
about natural fauna than traditional field studies that use printed
field guides. In other words, this approach integrates digital-friendly
learning materials, and even though learning is achieved outside of the
classroom and students are not in direct contact with each other, they
are able to actively discuss field study results in virtual space using
an SNS. However, the researchers recommend that teachers predetermine the virtual communication space for the field study before
embarking on it. In addition, use of a checklist will ease the preparation and implementation burden of teachers (see Appendix 2).
Despite its advantages, this teaching method has some limitations. Information encoding capacity is limited because of QR-codeencoding technology limitations. Also, the approach relies a lot on
the camera resolution of a smartphone. Additionally, to date, video
and image encoding in QR code is impossible (Denso Wave Inc.,
2003). These shortcomings could be overcome by using URL QR
codes, which are linked to image or video files.

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program

through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded
by the Korea government (MEST) (Grant No. NRF 2010-0008198).

The american biology teacher

References
Chaisatien, P. & Akahori, K. (2006). Introducing QR code in classroom
management and communication via mobile phone application system.
In E.Pearson & P. Bohman (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on
Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications,
(pp. 21812187). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Denso Wave Inc. (2003). QR code features. Available online at http://www.
denso-wave.com/qrcode/qrfeature-e.html.
Martin, W.W., Falk, J.H. & Balling, J.D. (1981). Environmental effects on learning: the outdoor field trip. Science Education, 65, 301309.
McRae, K. (1990). Introduction to the purposes and practices of outdoor
education. In K. McRae (Ed.), Outdoor and Environmental Education.
Melbourne, Australia: Macmillan
Priest, S. (1986). Redefining outdoor education: a matter of many relationships. Journal of Environmental Education, 17(3), 1315.
Small, G. & Vorgan, G. (2008). iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of
the Modern Mind. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

JUN-KI LEE is Full-time Lecturer of Biology Education at Chonbuk National

University, Jeonju, 561-756, Republic of Korea; e-mail: junki@jbnu.ac.kr.
IL-SUN LEE is a doctoral candidate in Biology Education at Korea National
University of Education, Cheongwon, 363-791, Republic of Korea; e-mail:
ilsunbrain@gmail.com. YONG-JU KWON, the correspondence author, is
Professor of Biology Education at Korea National University of Education,
Cheongwon, 363-791, Republic of Korea; e-mail: kwonyj@knue.ac.kr.

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Appendix 1. Fauna at Baekripo tidal mudflats I

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Fauna at Baekripo tidal mudflats II

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Appendix 2. Quick checklist for teachers.

Phase
Before field study

Item

Check

Step 1. Field-study site selection and species diversity identification

Select a suitable field study site
Identify species diversity
Step 2. QR-code-sheet creation and app installation
Generate QR codes
Make a QR code sheet
Install a QR-code-decoding app on students smartphones
Create SNS accounts for students

During field study

Step 3. Conduct field-study activities

Distribute QR code sheets to students
Explore and identify observed species
Share and discuss results/findings via the SNS

After field study

Step 4. Student presentations and discussions in follow-up classes

Allot time in follow-up classes to discuss the field study
Guide students to present and discuss their field-study findings using
information shared through the SNS

Note: QR = quick response, app = application, and SNS = social networking service.

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