Note-taking is a common lecture practice used by student in many disciplines. When notes are taken meticulously, students have a written record of the lecture material that is well organized and comprehensive which can facilitate a variety of study techniques for later exams (Bonner and Holliday 2006, Salame and Thompson 2020).
Unfortunately, most students fail to take accurate, complete, or organized notes of lecture content and most do not correct errors or problems in their notes resulting in misconceptions and low exam scores (Bonner and Holliday 2006, Salame and Thompson 2020).
Instructors can assist students in their notetaking by allowing students time in class (usually at the end of a topic or class) to review and compare their notes to a peer’s notes to determine what aspects are missing or contradictory to their neighbor. Students can then work together to correct any issues and to expand each other’s notes.
When students are given time to review and compare notes, students make significant learning gains by constructing context through collaboration (Almusharraf et al. 2020). Additionally, guided notes (outlines, graphical organizers, etc.) could be provided to help students develop their note-taking skills and reduce the time needed to compare notes during class. Guided notes have been shown to increase student learning and course success (Stacy and Cain 2015, Gharravi 2018).
Almusharraf, N. M., J. Costley, and M. Fanguy (2020) The effect of postgraduate students’ interactions with video lectures on collaborative notetaking. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research 19:639-654.
Bonner, J. M. and W. G. Holliday (2006) How college science students engage in note-taking strategies. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 43:786-818.
Gharravi, A. M. (2018) Impact of instructor-provided notes on the learning and exam performance of medical students in an organ system-based medical curriculum. Advances in Medical Education and Practice 9:665-672.
Salame, I. I. and A. Thompson (2020) Students’ views on Strategic note-taking and its impact on performance, achievement, and learning. International Journal of Instruction 13:1-16.
Stacy, E. M. and J. Cain (2015) Note-taking and handouts in the digital age. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 79:1-6.
This page was authored by Michele Larson and last updated May 24, 2022
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