Student Note-taking Research Articles

'Everyone is just so furiously typing': supporting student choices around digital notetaking in university lectures

University of Bristol students have indicated that 65% of them take notes digitally. As learning developers, how do we support students to take fit-for-purpose digital notes against a background of changing technology? In this study we posed two questions: What are the ways in which students currently take digital notes in lectures? What difficulties do students encounter in taking digital notes in lectures? Following formal ethical approval, we collected data using a questionnaire (n=123) and four focus groups (n=17), between January and May 2022. Participants in both included undergraduate and postgraduate students representing arts, humanities and STEMM subjects. Participation was voluntary and results were anonymised. We found that students choose a wide variety of digital tools for notetaking, in response to three interrelated aspects of the university learning environment: (1) perceived social pressure, for example the sound of typing, (2) lecture content, delivery and future assessment, and (3) affordances of digital technologies such as the comparative speed of typed notes. These themes have helped us understand the mechanisms of student notetaking choices and therefore allow us to offer relevant support. In this session we further illustrated the three main themes and presented examples of resources developed in response to them, modelling how learning developers can use these insights to support student notetaking practice: Firstly, through an open-access, online self-study resource that shares illustrative data from the research to inform student practice; secondly, a student-led workshop on OneNote, the most cited app in our student survey; and thirdly, a series of student blog posts on approaches to taking digital notes in different subject areas, as the research indicated lecture content affects digital notetaking choices. We also discussed how student notetaking practices may evolve considering emerging technologies such as generative AI tools.

Influence of Whiteboard Use on Lecturer Speech and Student Note-taking:

Influence of Whiteboard Use on Lecturer Speech and Student Note-taking:

Student Notetaking media in Higher Education

This paper explores the evolution of research methodology in the study of student notetaking in higher education (HE) and its impact on pedagogic approaches. While acknowledging the importance of notetaking for student learning, the paper argues that the overreliance of randomized control trials (RCTs) has led to some potentially misleading conclusions about lectures in HE and the notes students make during them.
 The paper traces the historical development of research methodologies in student notetaking, highlighting the shift from early observational studies to experimental research focused on identifying effective notetaking styles. However, the paper contends that these experimental studies often failed to capture the complex real-world factors that influence student note taking behaviour and learning outcomes.
 Contradictory findings between experimental and observational research are presented, challenging the assumptions drawn from RCTs. Observational studies suggest that the quality and quantity of notes taken during lectures may have limited impact on long-term conceptual understanding and learning outcomes, while the revision and review process may play a more significant role.
 The paper also examines the issues of internal and external validity in experimental research on student notetaking. It argues that the experimental methodologies used in these studies often controlled for important contextual factors, resulting in misleading outcomes that do not translate well into real-world settings.
 Drawing on the concepts of holist underdetermination and auxiliary hypotheses, the paper emphasizes the need for mixed methodologies and a holistic approach to investigate and establish causation in the study of student notetaking. 
 In conclusion, the paper suggests that a shift in focus from student notetaking to the lecture itself may be necessary. It highlights the importance of considering the broader context, individual differences, and the review and revision process in understanding the impact of notetaking on student learning outcomes. The paper calls for a re-evaluation of experimental methodologies and a more comprehensive approach to studying student notetaking in higher education.
 

Written notes and listening comprehension: A correlation study

Notetaking is a crucial aspect of learning in academic contexts, but as a relatively casual form of academic writing, it seldom receives pedagogic or research attention in the literature. Therefore, as more students study academic content through English as a second language (L2), research on student notetaking as a form of academic writing deserves attention. What students write in their notes and how they do so can play important roles in comprehension and learning. To address this gap, the present study examines 102 sets of notes and corresponding listening comprehension test scores to determine the relationships between four factors of quantity and quality in students’ hand-written notes; namely, notations, words, information units, and efficiency ratio. Results indicate that total notations and total words written in notes do not impact overall test scores, while information units and higher efficiency ratios positively correlate to test scores. The paper closes with pedagogic advice for teachers and students operating in L2 academic contexts with a focus on how best to conceptualise and write notes.

Pen and paper or computerized notetaking? L2 English students’ views and habits

Many students have the option of taking notes using the traditional pen and paper method or using computers to take notes digitally. Decisions about which notetaking method to use can be particularly important for students operating in a second language (L2), as they often face challenges in listening comprehension and note production in comparison to working in their first language (L1). While empirical research has begun to investigate which notetaking method might be more beneficial in terms of note content and lecture comprehension, less is known about how preference for pen and paper or computerized notetaking may affect views of notetaking and notetaking habits. Therefore, this paper builds on previous survey studies on student notetaking by comparing responses from those who prefer taking notes with pen and paper with those who prefer computerized notetaking. In addition, while much research has focused on students listening to content and taking notes in their L1, participants in this study were doing so in English as an L2. Data from 385 participants across four countries was collected via an online survey, and 2 × 2 chi squared tests of independence were used to determine any differences between those who prefer pen and paper and those who prefer computerized notetaking in relation to statements about and habits related to notetaking. Results showed more differences in opinions, in particular related to feelings about comprehension and concentration levels, and more consistency in notetaking habits. Implications are discussed in relation to levels of processing and encoding theories as well as to previous research.

Visual Thinking: Exploring current practices and perspectives re student notetaking

Despite its importance, student note taking is under-researched and under-theorised. Many studies are outdated, analysing pre-digital behaviour. Hence, we question whether earlier findings still apply (as does van der Meer, 2012). Although we find some innovations useful, such as collaborative note taking (Orndorff, 2015), much recent research is also problematic. For example, consider widely reported claims that students taking longhand notes perform better than students using laptops (Mueller and Oppenheimer, 2014). Recent studies suggest more complex relationships (Luo et al., 2018) but typically adopt short-term experimental approaches. As a result, current advice and guidance for university students tends to be limited, often listing different techniques with relatively little commentary/analysis. This session enabled participants to review progress on this ALDinHE supported project, inviting discussion on issues/development regarding our three main aims to: Investigate current students’ note taking practices/preferences and develop transferable models to inform guidance and further research. Pilot structured interventions, introducing different methods. Produce/disseminate tools/approaches for longer-term investigation and application/adaptation by colleagues elsewhere.

Retentional effects of notetaking instruction in EAP courses

AbstractPrevious research has shown that explicit notetaking instruction in EAP courses has positive effects on student notetaking. However, many studies limit measurement of notetaking ability to immediately after an intense period of instruction. Thus, the retentional effects of notetaking instruction have yet to be investigated in the longer term. To address this research gap, this paper reports on a study that assessed students’ notetaking performance prior to, immediately after, and then again four months after the notetaking instruction to examine the retentional value of notetaking instruction. Samples of student notes (n = 40) from these three time points were analysed through ‘information units’ to determine any changes. Results indicate that the instruction had a positive and significant effect on performance in the short term and that student performance lessened over time. Pedagogic implications stemming from these findings, including regular notetaking practice and consistently reviewing notetaking strategies, are discussed.

Why Take Notes?

For disciplines depending upon precise definitions and distinctions, students’ notes provide an avenue for student engagement with skill and content. Activities enliven the classroom, and those discussed here can also help students develop and exercise critical thinking skills through note-taking. Lecturing and experiential learning happen hand-in-hand when the instructor uses teaching about notes and note-taking as a method for critical engagement with class content. In this paper, I integrate research on the cognitive function of student note-taking with research on student engagement—particularly, motivating student learning, engaging students with texts, lecture, or discussion, and promoting metacognition about learning practices—by arguing that the instructor who teaches and emphasizes student note-taking elevates note-taking to a method of student engagement and daily critical thinking practice; I discuss particular methods for supporting teaching note-taking, methods that promote active learning, student engagement, and student understanding (and could be utilized in a variety of classes).

The Effect of Postgraduate Students’ Interaction with Video Lectures on Collaborative Note-taking

Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to explore the effects of students’ interactions with video lectures on the levels of collaboration and completeness of their group note-taking. Background: There has been an increase in the amount of online learning over the last 20 years. With video lectures becoming an increasingly utilized instructional modality, it is essential to consider students’ interactions with videos and the subsequent effect of those interactions on collaboration. Methodology: This research used a combination of survey data about student interactions with video lectures and evidence of student-to-student interactions from a sample of 149 masters and Ph.D. students at a university in South Korea. Contribution: To date, limited research has been conducted on the effect of student interactions with online instructional videos and that interaction’s effect on collaborative note-taking. Past research has examined the effects of lecture-watching behaviors and collaborative note-taking separately, and this paper looks at their relationship with one another. Findings: This paper has two main findings. The first is that interacting more with video lectures increases the amount that students interact with each other. The second is that these higher levels of interaction with videos do not impact the completeness of student note-taking. Recommendations for Practitioners: These findings of this paper suggest that instructors should encourage students to utilize active viewing strategies, as doing so will increase interaction among students, which will subsequently benefit their levels of collaboration. Recommendation for Researchers: This research shows the value of drawing links between aspects of learner consumption of instructional media and other aspects of their learning, particularly collaboration. Impact on Society: The importance of effective instruction and increasing collaboration in online learning is of great value now, particularly so, as much instruction is being delivered in online formats. Future Research: Future research should seek further to understand the relationships between aspects of instruction and collaboration. More specifically, future research could look into clickstream data and collaboration.

Did you take “good” notes?: On methods for evaluating student notetaking performance

Did you take “good” notes?: On methods for evaluating student notetaking performance

Informal Content and Student Note-Taking in Advanced Mathematics Classes

This study investigates 3 hypotheses about proof-based mathematics instruction: (a) that lectures include informal content (ways of thinking and reasoning about advanced mathematics that are not captured by formal symbolic statements), (b) that informal content is usually presented orally but not written on the board, and (c) that students do not record the informal content that is only stated orally but do if it is written on the board. The authors found that (a) informal content was common (with, on average, 32 instances per lecture), (b) most informal content was presented orally, and (c) typically students recorded written content while not recording oral content in their notes.

Effectiveness of Student's Note-Taking Activities and Characteristics of Their Learning Performance in Two Types of Online Learning

Aspects of learning behavior during two types of university courses, a blended learning course and a fully online course, were examined using note taking activity. The contribution of student's characteristics and styles of learning to note taking activity and learning performance were analyzed, and the relationships between the two types of courses were compared using causal analysis techniques. In addition, lexical analysis of the contents of notes taken was introduced. Features of notes taken, such as the number of terms, the word ratios of student's notes and the degree of coverage of the lecturer's notes were compared. The results of the evaluation of the two types of learning styles were summarized by determining the relationships between student's characteristics and metrics of the contents of notes taken. The metrics were significantly different between the two learning styles. The contributions of students' characteristics to learning performance were also different. These results provide points to consider for the design and organization of the two types of learning.

Using Skeletal Outlines and Illustrative Diagrams as a Teaching/Learning Strategy in a Baccalaureate Nursing Pharmacology Course

Knowledge of pharmacology is an important aspect of safe, effective and competent clinical nursing practice, yet it can be challenging to teach. Many academics within the discipline of nursing are concerned that current nursing curricula may not be preparing nurses to accept responsibilities related to pharmacological management and are inadequately prepared for their role in medication administration. Nursing faculty who teach advanced clinical nursing practice courses also report that students lack the foundational knowledge of pharmacology needed and required in advanced clinical courses. These concerns have led to a call for additional focus that must be placed on student knowledge acquisition of pharmacology content due to poor student performance on standardized tests. Within a four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) curriculum, pharmacology content was taught to first-term, second year students within a nursing praxis course, over a 13-week period. Students were required to understand the foundational principles, concepts and content of pharmacology and to integrate this knowledge in a critical reflective manner in clinical practice. A teaching/learning approach was implemented within the classroom that aligned with the work of Bui and McDaniel (2015). This method utilized outlines, illustrative diagrams and mental models aimed to enhance student note-taking in the development of content knowledge and to assist students to internalize critical cognitive learning processes. Consequently, student comprehension and critical thinking of pharmacology content was increased. Establishing a solid foundation of pharmacology that is integrated in a critically manner is a major component of providing safe and competent patient care.

The lost art of lecturing: cultivating student listening and notetaking

Studies that systematically control the relevant features of lectures find significant learning benefits for students. However, the large-scale correlative studies of instructional format and stude...

The Interactive Notebook: How Students Learned to Keep Notes during the Scottish Enlightenment

Concentrating on the rich tradition of graphic culture that permeated Scotland’s universities during the long eighteenth century, this essay argues that student lecture notebooks were a sophisticated form of scribal media. I reveal that they were inscribed, assembled, bound, bought, sold, disassembled, edited, annotated, pirated, plagiarized, and circulated in a manner that transformed them into tools through which students learned to interactively manage knowledge on paper. In following this path, I transform student notetaking into a dynamic activity that played a central role in shaping the knowledge economy so characteristically associated with the Scottish Enlightenment.

Positive Effects of Restricting Student Note-Taking in a Capstone Psychology Course

Two versions of a senior-level capstone course with differing note-taking strategies were compared. In one semester, a traditional student note-taking format was used; in another semester, student note-taking was rendered unnecessary by providing students with complete instructor notes. Student performance in the course as well as student opinions of the course itself and the new no-notes format were assessed. The nature of students’ in-class participation increased significantly with the no–note-taking format, and final grades exhibited a modest improvement as well. Students were overwhelmingly positive in their reactions to the approach. Recommendations regarding the potential benefits of reducing the divided attention demands of note-taking in the classroom are discussed.

Supporting physiology learning: the development of interactive concept-based video clips

the accommodation of diverse student learning approaches and maintenance of good academic outcomes are often difficult to achieve in university courses, particularly where large classes are concerned. These issues become even more significant when dealing with first-year students in science courses

Spoken organizational lecture cues and student notetaking as facilitators of student learning

Previous research has shown that providing written organizational lecture cues boosts notetaking and that boosting notetaking raises achievement. Lecture learning literature, however, is silent on whether spoken organizational lecture cues boost notetaking and achievement. To find out, participants listened to a lecture that contained or did not contain spoken organizational lecture cues. Participants either recorded lecture notes or refrained from notetaking while listening to the cued or uncued lecture. Results showed that spoken organizational lecture cues boosted the number of noted organizational points and details by 39 and 35%, respectively. Results also confirmed that lecture cues and notetaking work to raise achievement. Notetaking resulted in about 13% higher test achievement than not taking notes. Cueing raised test achievement 15–45% versus noncueing. Educators are encouraged to use spoken organizational cues while presenting lectures.

The effects of teacher immediacy, use of organizational lecture cues, and students’ notetaking on cognitive learning

This experiment used scripted, videotaped lectures to test the effects of teacher immediacy (high vs. low), use of organizational cues (with cues vs. no cues) and student notetaking (took notes vs. no notes) on students’ cognitive learning. Results indicated that learning immediately after viewing a lecture is greater when the lecture contains organizational cues and students take notes. Also, delayed retention is greater when students take notes and view lectures containing organizational cues and immediate behaviors.

Optimally Engineering Traditional Introductory Physics Classes

This paper presents a measurement of the time and resources committed to traditional student actions such as reading and working homework. The perception of the educational value of each basic action for both students and faculty is captured. From this information, basic educational efficiencies are computed for a traditional mechanics course and a non-traditional hands-on Electricity and Magnetism course. The calculations show an allocation of resources in the traditional course which uses the most student time in the least educationally valuable activity. The computed efficiencies also show overseen student note-taking as potentially a very valuable general tool. The techniques presented allow any institution to carry out quantitative educational engineering of their course offerings at the highest level.