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Typing notes doesn't work well in all classes, though. I can't write equations down on a computer as fast as I write, especially complex ones. Figures are also another problem. I've seen undergrad classes where the students get the notes and I saw two main problems. They often either don't bother coming to class or they don't pay attention. In some of my grad courses, we got notes ahead of time and then made personal notes during the lectures on top of the supplied ones, but we were a bit more motivated than the average undergrad. An alternative that seemed to work well in the undergrad courses I had was notes that had portions for students to fill in. The only problem with this approach is that it requires careful consideration by the lecturer. This approach is actually what is suggested by some of the research [1] on note-taking and lectures. While the research is mixed on note-taking, overall it seems to suggest that some note-taking is good as long as the lectures are set to accommodate it. For example, looking at a study by Kiewra and Benton [2] it says the "amount of note-taking is related to academic achievement" and "ability to hold and manipulate propositional knowledge in working memory is related to the number of words, complex propositions, and main ideas recorded in notes." [1] McAndrew, Donald A. "Underlining and notetaking: Some suggestions from research," Journal of Reading, 27(2), November 1983, pp. 103-108. [2] Kiewra, Kenneth A., and Benton, Stephen L. "The relationship between information-processing ability and notetaking," Contemporary Educational Psychology, 13, 1988, pp. 33-44. |