A new website has been built for new and returning students of Parkland College in Illinois. The website is designed to help students navigate the sometimes labyrinthian campus. The site was built by members of the Marketing and Public Relations departments at the school in an effort to help ease the tension of trying to find new classes. Keen to cater to the needs of students who are almost entirely reliant on technology, the site’s creators have opted to use QR codes to help guide students to the website.
The codes are placed throughout the campus. Scanning the codes links students directly to the site, which will show their exact location based upon where they scanned the code. From there, students will be able to search for class rooms and other buildings and will be guided by a map with a highlighted route which will take students straight to their destination. Any student can use the site, but to make use of the QR codes they will need a smart phone equipped with a barcode scanning application.
The school hopes to drive traffic to the site through the use of QR codes, and is taking steps to promote the use of the codes among students. By raising awareness of how the codes work, more students are likely to participate, at least until they become familiar with the campus and where their classes are located.