Qwickly Community

Qwickly is thrilled to announce the official launch of SMS text messaging within Qwickly Course Tools, after a successful Beta testing throughout the Fall 2024 semester.

This innovative addition empowers instructors to inform students of important course information directly through text messages, a more immediate notification method. Providing this alternative form of communication for students who prefer text messaging over email will greatly improve course communication, ensuring that no important information slips through the cracks.

Join us for our webinar on September 24th, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET: Get Started with SMS Text Messaging in Qwickly Course Tools.

Discover the power of SMS text messaging in Qwickly Course Tools. Learn how instructors can create these SMS notifications to be sent to students and how the tool will ultimately improve communication with students by providing instant notifications and updates.

Can't make it to the live webinar? Register anyway to receive a recording of the session. You'll still have the opportunity to learn how to leverage SMS text messaging in Qwickly Course Tools and enhance your institution's student communication.

To learn how to enable and use SMS text messaging in Qwickly Course Tools, please refer to our latest Knowledge Base Article.

Qwickly Symposium Georgia is right around the corner! Join us for the free, in-person event on Friday, October 24th, 2025 from  8:30 AM - 3:00 PM EST to learn how your institution can utilize with Qwickly’s products! Qwickly Symposium Georgia will be held at the Ramsey Conference Center at Lanier Technical College.

Discover enhancements to Qwickly Attendance, including the improved seating chart mode and the new NFC check-in (now in Beta). Learn about the SMS text messaging capabilities in Qwickly Course Tools and get the latest on the instructor mark-up feature for Qwickly Jot, first introduced at Qwickly Symposium 2024.

Reserve your seat today for Qwickly Symposium Georgia. We look forward to another successful Qwickly Symposium!

We're excited to bring you our updated version of the beloved, Seating Chart attendance taking mode, available in Qwickly Attendance Plus and Qwickly Attendance Pro. Instead of just taking attendance from a list, you can create a visual representation of your classroom.

How It Works

Once your administrator enables the feature, you'll see a new Seating Chart menu item. 

• Build Your Chart: Start by creating a new seating chart. You have the flexibility to choose from different grid sizes, 10 x 10 or 20 x 5, so whether your class is small and intimate or large and lively, you can design a layout that works for you.
• Place Your Students: Easily click on a student’s name and the seat you’d like to assign them to. You can even leave empty spaces for aisles or empty desks.
• Take Attendance with Ease: With your seating chart saved, taking attendance is as simple as clicking on a student's seat. Photos are integrated, helping you learn names and faces faster than ever before. This is also a huge help for substitute teachers, giving them a clear visual guide for the day.

The Seating Chart attendance-taking mode, and all other modes within the Qwickly Attendance service levels, are here to save you time and help you create a more organized and efficient classroom. It's time to take the stress out of attendance and focus on what really matters: teaching.

That's a wrap for Qwickly Symposium New England! At MassBay Community College, the Qwickly Team presented an overview of recent product updates and future plans, covering innovations across Qwickly Attendance, Qwickly Course Tools & Qwickly Jot. 

Check out a quick summary of the sessions on each product family: 

Qwickly Attendance has seen a plethora of improvements for both instructors and administrators. Seating chart enhancements include new 20x5 layouts, the integration of student photos for better visual identification, and a cleaner interface. Qwickly Attendance can now pull LMS avatars from Canvas and Blackboard, offering an alternative to traditional photo store integrations.

A significant future development is automated check-in using NFC tags. This new method of check-in allows students to check in by tapping their phone against an NFC tag, eliminating the need for instructors to manage the process directly. This method offers high accuracy for student presence and can be deployed at the classroom or even individual seat level. A public beta for NFC check-in is planned for the summer.

A major new development is the SMS Text Messaging tool within Qwickly Course Tools, which allows instructors to send one-way text messages to students without revealing phone numbers. Students opt-in by registering their numbers via the Qwickly Course Tools interface or a link in an initial email. Currently, it supports US phone numbers only, with plans for international support and custom school phone numbers.

Qwickly Jot, designed to digitize the traditional paper assignment (like drawing or marking maps), has received a key update. Instructors can now directly mark up student submissions with written feedback, shapes, and other annotations, with both original and marked-up versions saved.

For more information on any of these enhancements and new features, please watch the on-demand "What’s New in Qwickly Products" webinar.

The Qwickly team is excited to announce that they will be sponsoring Anthology Together 2025 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas! This year's event runs from July 14-16, and will feature speakers from around the world sharing innovative ideas and programs for educational technology.

What's New in Qwickly?

Qwickly is thrilled to announce that the SMS text messaging tool is officially out of Beta! This means users can now seamlessly send SMS text messages to keep students informed about important updates. The team will also be showcasing a brand new check-in mode using NFC capabilities. Students will simply tap their phone to an NFC chip for a quick and easy class check-in!

Connect with the team!

Stop by the Qwickly booth in the exhibit hall to chat with our team. The team would love to discuss how Qwickly products can enhance your classrooms, whether you're looking for a campus-wide solution or something specific for your school.

Exhibit Hall Open:

• Tuesday, July 15th
• Wednesday, July 16th

For more information about AT25, visit https://www2.anthology.com/together.

The Qwickly Team is excited to be back for our third consecutive year as an exhibitor at D2L Fusion 2025 in Savannah, Georgia! We're looking forward to connecting with familiar faces and demonstrating the exciting new features we've added to our toolkit since last year.

What's New in Qwickly?

We're thrilled to announce that our SMS text messaging tool is officially out of Beta! This means you can now seamlessly send SMS text messages to keep students informed about important updates. With Brightspace discontinuing their own texting tool, Qwickly Course Tools offers a familiar and effective alternative to maintain this vital communication channel.

Meet Us at the Qwickly Booth!

Come visit our booth in the exhibit hall to chat with our team about how Qwickly Products can enhance your classrooms, whether implemented campus-wide or for a specific school.

Exhibit Hall Hours:

• Tuesday, July 22nd: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
• Wednesday, July 23rd: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

For more information about D2L Fusion 2025, visit https://www.d2l.com/fusion/.

Review the faculty training handout that contains resources for faculty assistance like on-demand trainings, how-to videos and more!

With Qwickly Jot, students can write on diagrams, charts, maps and more inside the learning management system. Now, with the new instructor markup tool, instructors are empowered to provide detailed, personalized feedback on student submissions. This feature allows instructors to directly annotate and correct student work, imitating the traditional pen-and-paper experience. 

Key Benefits of Qwickly's Instructor Markup Tool:

• Personalized Feedback: By marking directly on the student's work, instructors can tailor their feedback to specific areas of concern, offering targeted guidance.
• Efficient Grading and Assessment: Instructors can seamlessly grade assignments and provide feedback within the platform. The integrated grading system ensures accurate and timely reflection of student performance in the LMS gradebook.

How it Works:

Qwickly Jot provides instructors with a seamless platform to review student submissions. Within the platform, educators can directly access individual student work. Using the annotation tool, instructors can provide specific feedback directly on the student's document. Different colors can be assigned to different feedback types, such as corrections, suggestions, or positive reinforcement. Once the review is complete, instructors can assign a numerical grade to the assignment, which is then automatically transferred over to the Learning Management System (LMS) gradebook. This user-friendly approach empowers educators to deliver immediate grading and feedback to their students.

If you are interested in learning more about the new instructor markup tool, make sure to register for the upcoming webinar: Create Interactive Digital Assignments with Qwickly Jot. This webinar will be held on February 12th, 2025. We hope to see you there!