Study from Home

Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have meant that more students than ever are studying from home. Learning at a distance is a well-established way to work, but it may be new to you so we've gathered some advice and ideas to help you make the most out of studying online. 

Now that much of our university learning is online, some (if not all) lectures are online too. These may be synchronous, or 'live', sessions or asynchronous sessions as lecture recordings. Here are some tips to help you make better, more efficient notes for your online lectures.

Productivity tips for online lectures

1. Look through any pre-lecture materials

Familiarise yourself with today’s, or this week’s, topic or concept and what the lecture will be focusing on. If the lecturer has uploaded the slides in advance of the lecture, look at the material before the lecture begins.

2. Decide on which note-making method to use

Make notes digitally or by hand. You can type up your notes in Word or online note-making software such as OneNote, or write up your notes in a traditional notebook. You might also considering using a reusable notebook where you can scan your notes to an app and upload them to your computer.

Research suggests that we tend to retain more information when we take notes by hand, however most people can type faster than they write. Your notemaking method will be down  to your personal preference.

If you prefer to hand write your notes, try training yourself not to pause the lecture recording too often and focus on making notes as the lecturer talks. This will help you to focus on the important points and not take verbatim notes.

Listen out for significant key phrases or signposts that the lecturer might use to indicate important points:

• “You need to know X” or “X might be on the test”
• Any time the lecturer repeats themselves
• Anything the lecturer says more loudly or with more emphasis
• Any time there is a relationship (e.g. first… second… finally)
• Any time there are significant signposts (e.g. especially, most significant, consequently, etc.)
   

3. Make sure you’re in a productive space

Close all tabs. Make sure you’re in a position that’s not too comfortable (or sleep-inducing). Put away technology that’s not needed for the lecture (so you won’t get distracted by notifications).
 

4. Resist the urge to write down everything the lecturer says

You could end up spending way more time than you need to on just one lecture. Concentrate on what the lecturer repeats, emphasises or tells you is important. Make a note of slide titles. If your lecture recording has a transcript, you can read through it after the lecture and make additional notes or changes if you need to.
 

5. Avoid Googling during the lecture

Stay focused and look things up after the lecture. If you find yourself pausing a lecture recording to Google things and it’s taking you a long time to work through the video, try not to pause the lecture too much and make an extra note in your notes to look up something later when the recording has finished.
 

6. Write down questions that come to mind during the lecture

Studying online can mean you can’t just put your hand up to ask a question or clarification. If a question comes to mind, either during a live lecture or while you’re watching a lecture recording, write the question down so you don’t forget it. You can then ask the lecturer during a designated Q&A session, after the lecture or on a module forum.
 

7. Make a brief summary of your notes for that lecture or topic

After the lecture, take 5-10 minutes to make a summary. This will make it easier when you come back to revise key points at a later date and help you to retain the information better. You can make a lecture summary or weekly summary.

Handwritten vs. typed notes: benefits and disadvantages

Benefits of handwriting notes 

• You can use all of your screen space for the lecture recording.
• It may be quicker to draw diagrams or equations.
• Research suggests you remember the material better.
• Your notes may be more succinct and focus on the important points.

Disadvantages of handwriting notes 

• It takes longer, which may be problematic if you can’t write fast enough to keep up with the lecturer or if you end up being too concise and miss critical information.
• You have one (paper) copy of your notes.

Benefits of typing notes 

• You can make more notes, faster, which means writing down more details.
• Digital notes are easier to edit, search through and share.
• You can have multiple copies of your notes and print them off if you want to annotate them further by hand.
• You can import your notes into other applications such as Word, OneNote or PowerPoint.

Disadvantages of typing notes 

• You may write down too much and the important details get lost in all the other information. 
• You have to share your screen space with the lecture (recording) and your notes, like Word or OneNote. 

However you decide to make notes - whether you hand write them, type them or do a bit of both - there is no right or wrong way to do it. Your notemaking method will be down to your personal preference.