Nearpod helps teachers turn classroom lessons into interactive learning experiences with quizzes, videos, collaborative activities, and student-paced assignments. Teachers can launch a lesson using a session code or link, create their own activities, and choose a subscription that suits their classroom needs.
If you want to launch a new Nearpod code, create an interactive lesson, or upgrade your account, this guide walks you through the process.
How to Launch a New Nearpod Code
A Nearpod code allows students to join a lesson or activity. You can launch a lesson for live classroom teaching or assign it for students to complete at their own pace.
Follow these steps to launch a lesson and generate a code:
- Visit Nearpod and sign in to your teacher account.
- Open My Library and find the lesson you want to teach.
- Select the lesson’s Teach or launch option, then choose the appropriate teaching mode if prompted.
- If you already have an active session for that lesson, look for the option to launch a new session. Depending on your account and the interface, you may see a Launch new button.
- Share the new session code or join link with your students.
Students can use the code or link to access the lesson on a compatible device. The exact options available may depend on your account type and the teaching mode you select.
How to Launch Multiple Nearpod Sessions
If you need separate sessions for different classes, you may be able to launch multiple sessions at once, depending on your subscription.
- Open My Library and locate your lesson.
- Start the lesson using the relevant teaching mode.
- If you need another session, return to the lesson and select the option to launch a new one.
- Share the corresponding code or link with the correct class.
Nearpod’s current pricing and plan comparison lists launching multiple sessions at once as a Gold feature. Check your plan before relying on this option.
Tip: Keep each class’s code or link clearly labelled when teaching multiple groups. This reduces the risk of students joining the wrong session.
How to Create Your Own Nearpod Lesson
Nearpod lets teachers build lessons from scratch, adapt existing resources, and add interactive activities. You can use these tools to make lessons more engaging while checking student understanding along the way.
1. Start a New Lesson
Sign in to Nearpod and select Create. Choose the lesson-creation option available in your account.
You can build a lesson from your own material or start with an existing resource from the Nearpod lesson library.
If your school or individual subscription includes AI-powered creation tools, you may also be able to generate a starting lesson or questions from a topic. Review the generated material and adjust it to your learning objectives before sharing it with students.
2. Add Content to Your Lesson
Use the available content options to combine explanations, visuals, and multimedia. Depending on the tools available in your account, you may be able to include:
- Slides: Present key ideas, instructions, diagrams, and images.
- Interactive Video: Add questions to a video to check comprehension at relevant points.
- Web content: Include a webpage or other online resource when supported by the editor.
- 3D content and virtual field trips: Give students a more visual way to explore places, objects, or concepts.
- Existing resources: Adapt suitable lessons and materials from the Nearpod library.
Choose content that supports your learning objective rather than adding multimedia simply to make the lesson longer.
3. Add Interactive Activities
Interactive activities give students opportunities to respond instead of only watching or reading. Open the activity options in the lesson editor and choose the formats that suit your class.
Popular Nearpod activities include:
- Time to Climb: A game-based quiz in which students answer questions and compete to reach the top.
- Draw It: Ask students to draw, label, annotate, or demonstrate their understanding.
- Collaborate Board: Invite students to share ideas and responses on a shared board.
- Quizzes and formative assessments: Check what students understand before moving to the next topic.
- Interactive Video questions: Pause a video with questions to assess understanding as students watch.
Explore Nearpod’s Time to Climb page for more information about this game-based learning activity.
Depending on your licence, AI-assisted tools may also help you generate multiple-choice questions or create lesson activities. Nearpod’s official FAQ explains which AI creation features are available with different licences.
4. Save and Review Your Lesson
Before launching your lesson, save your work and review the content.
Check that:
- Slides and media appear correctly.
- Questions have the intended answers.
- Activities are placed in the right order.
- Any external websites or videos work as expected.
- The lesson matches the time available for your class.
Once the lesson is ready, return to your library and launch it using the teaching mode you need.
How to Upgrade Your Nearpod Account
Nearpod offers different plans for individual educators as well as schools and districts. The right option depends on how many students join your lessons, how much content you need to store, and which teaching tools you use.
According to Nearpod’s official pricing page, the individual educator plans include:
- Silver: A free plan with 300 MB of storage and up to 40 student joins per lesson.
- Gold: Includes 1 GB of storage and up to 75 student joins per lesson, along with additional features such as launching multiple sessions at once and setting lesson-code expiration.
- Platinum: Includes 5 GB of storage and up to 90 student joins per lesson, plus additional features such as student notes.
School and district licences offer a separate set of features and capacity limits. Pricing and availability can change, so check the official page before purchasing.
Steps to Upgrade Your Account
- Visit Nearpod Pricing.
- Compare the available individual educator plans.
- Sign in to your existing account or create one if required.
- Select the plan you want and follow the checkout instructions.
- Review your subscription confirmation and retain the receipt for your records.
For a school or district licence, use the school and district option on Nearpod’s pricing page to request information from its sales team.
Important: Check the current billing terms, renewal date, and available payment methods during checkout.
Troubleshooting: What to Do If Your Nearpod Code Does Not Work
If students cannot join your Nearpod lesson, check the following:
1. Confirm that the session is active.
Make sure you have launched the correct lesson and teaching mode.
2. Check the code or link.
Ask students to re-enter the code carefully or use the link you shared.
3. Verify that students are joining the correct session.
If you have launched multiple sessions, ensure the code belongs to the intended class.
4. Check the session settings and expiry.
Some plans offer controls for lesson-code expiration. If a code is no longer valid, launch a new session and share the new details.
5. Check the account or access requirements.
If the problem continues, consult the Nearpod help resources or contact Nearpod support.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I generate a new Nearpod code?
Sign in to Nearpod, open your lesson in My Library, and launch it using the relevant teaching mode. If you need another session, look for the option to launch a new one. The available options depend on your account and subscription.
Can I launch multiple Nearpod codes at the same time?
Nearpod lists launching multiple sessions at once as a Gold feature. Check the current plan comparison to confirm the feature is available with your subscription.
Can I create my own Nearpod lesson?
Yes. Nearpod lets teachers create lessons and combine content with interactive activities. Available creation tools depend on your account and licence.
Which Nearpod plan should an individual teacher choose?
Silver may be sufficient if you need the core features and have a smaller storage or student-join requirement. Gold and Platinum offer higher limits and additional tools. Compare the current plans against your classroom needs before upgrading.
Does Nearpod offer AI tools for creating lessons?
Yes. Nearpod offers AI-assisted creation features, with availability varying by licence. These tools can help teachers generate questions and, on eligible plans, create lessons and activities. Review and edit the output before using it with students.
