{"id":3888,"date":"2018-07-24T19:04:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-24T23:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/?p=3888"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:34:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T20:34:51","slug":"improve-student-note-taking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/blog\/2018\/07\/24\/improve-student-note-taking\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve Student Note-Taking"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

A\u00a02014 study by Mueller and Oppenheimer<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>indicated that students who took notes in class with their computer performed more poorly than students who took notes by hand.<\/p>\n

67 students participated in the research study, and students were asked to use their typical note-taking method (laptop or longhand) while watching a video. Although students who typed their notes on the computer were able to recall facts equally well (no statistical difference found), their performance on conceptual-application questions was significantly worse (M = -0.156).<\/p>\n

A 2012 study by Aguilar-Roca, Williams, and O\u2019Dowd of 400 students found a correlation between exam performance and note taking preference\u2014those who took notes by paper scored significantly higher than those who took notes on a laptop (p < 0.01, paired t-test). And Kraushaar and Novak, in 2010, discovered that students with laptops engaged in substantial multitasking behavior about 42% of the time (defined as surfing, entertainment, email, instant messaging, and updating computer software).<\/p>\n

So what does this mean for us as faculty? Does this suggest we ban laptops overnight in our classes? Not necessarily.<\/p>\n

Teasing out these questions (and potential solutions) is best addressed in the department meeting, committee, or faculty task force. But in the meantime, there are steps you can take to begin shaping the conversation with your own students.<\/p>\n

Explain to your students, in the context of empathy and care, that you want to see them succeed in every way, and that these studies have you thinking differently. Tell them that isn\u2019t that you want to take their laptop away; it\u2019s that others who have taken this subject seriously enough to study it, have determined that it has a real impact. They are here to learn, after all.<\/p>\n

Still, if you\u2019re unsure how they will respond to a sudden change in classroom policy, poll them anonymously. Gauge their reluctance, and tell them you\u2019re thinking about a change (sleep on it).<\/p>\n

If and when you are ready to be more intentional about your students taking notes by hand, consider modeling the way. It is entirely possible that your students have never taken notes by hand, or received any feedback whatsoever about the quality of the notes they write. Show them an example of what good notes and poor notes look like<\/p>\n

Or you might simply try it with them in a low stakes manner \u2014lecture about a topic for 5 minutes, then ask them to share out loud what they wrote. If they are reluctant, take them up, then read a random few. Have a conversation (non-judgmental, of course) about the differences in how people process what they hear. Ask them whether you talk too fast or too slow. The conversation could be quite fruitful.<\/p>\n

If you are in the planning phases for next term\u2019s courses, consider using a syllabus statement, a short paragraph that explains the importance of note-taking. Given that most faculty go over their syllabus that first week, this is a logical place to include it. We\u2019ve created an example of one below, and it\u2019s plug-in ready (just copy and paste).<\/p>\n

Indent the text below 1 inch and include a cursor pointer directly to the left of it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Example of Syllabus Statement (feel free to copy or modify):<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommendations for Note-Taking<\/strong>:
\nThose who study how people learn recently discovered something very interesting. Students who take notes by hand perform better on exams than students who take notes on their laptop (on concept-based questions). Students who use laptops to write down exactly what they hear or see can find themselves unprepared for an exam. Why? Because at the time the material was shared, their brains were not processing and storing what they learned. They merely copied what they heard. So try these things:<\/p>\n

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