https://learningcenter.unc.

edu/tips-and-tools/e ective-note-taking-in-class/

E ective Note-Taking in Class –

Learning Center
Do you sometimes struggle to determine what to write down during lectures?
Have you ever found yourself wishing you could take better or more e ective
notes? Whether you are sitting in a lecture hall or watching a lecture online,
note-taking in class can be intimidating, but with a few strategic practices,
anyone can take clear, e ective notes. This handout will discuss the importance
of note-taking, qualities of good notes, and tips for becoming a better note-
taker.

Why good notes matter

In-class bene ts

Taking good notes in class is an important part of academic success in college.

Actively taking notes during class can help you focus and better understand
main concepts. In many classes, you may be asked to watch an instructional
video before a class discussion. Good note-taking will improve your active
listening, comprehension of material, and retention. Taking notes on both
synchronous and asynchronous material will help you better remember what
you hear and see.

Post-class bene ts
After class, good notes are crucial for reviewing and studying class material so
that you better understand it and can prepare appropriately for exams. E cient
and concise notes can save you time, energy, and confusion that often results
from trying to make sense of disorganized, overwhelming, insu cient, or wordy
notes. When watching a video, taking good notes can save you from the hassle
of pausing, rewinding, and rewatching large chunks of a lecture. Good notes
can provide a great resource for creating outlines and studying.

How to take good notes in class

There’s a lot going on during class, so you may not be able to capture every
main concept perfectly, and that’s okay. Part of good note-taking may include
going back to your notes after class (ideally within a day or two) to check for
clarity and ll in any missing pieces. In fact, doing so can help you better
organize your thoughts and to determine what’s most important. With that in
mind, it’s important to have good source material.

Preparing to take good notes in class

The rst step to taking good notes in class is to come to class prepared. Here are
some steps you can take to improve your note-taking before class even
begins:

Preview your text or reading assignments prior to lecture. Previewing

allows you to identify main ideas and concepts that will most likely be
discussed during the lecture.
Look at your course syllabus so that you know the topic/focus of the
class and what’s going to be important to focus on.
Brie y review notes from previous class sessions to help you situate the
new ideas you’ll learn in this class.
 Keep organized to help you nd information more easily later. Title your
page with the class name and date. Keep separate notebook sections or
notebooks for each class and keep all notes for each class together in one
space, in chronological order.

Note-taking during class

Now that you are prepared and organized, what can you do to take good notes
while listening to a lecture in class? Here are some practical steps you can try
to improve your in-class note-taking:

If you are seeking conceptual information, focus on the main points the
professor makes, rather than copying down the entire presentation or
every word the professor says. Remember, if you review your notes after
class, you can always ll in any gaps or de ne words or concepts you
didn’t catch in class.
If you are learning factual information, transcribing most of the lecture
verbatim can help with recall for short-answer test questions, but only if
you study these notes within 24 hours.
Record questions and thoughts you have or content that is confusing to
you that you want to follow-up on later or ask your professor about.
Jot down keywords, dates, names, etc. that you can then go back and
de ne or explain later.
Take visually clear, concise, organized, and structured notes so that they
are easy to read and make sense to you later. See di erent formats of notes
below for ideas.
If you want your notes to be concise and brief, use abbreviations and
symbols. Write in bullets and phrases instead of complete sentences. This
will help your mind and hand to stay fresh during class and will help you
access things easier and quicker after class. It will also help you focus on
the main concepts.
 Be consistent with your structure. Pick a format that works for you and
stick with it so that your notes are structured the same way each day.
For online lectures, follow the above steps to help you e ectively manage
your study time. Once you’ve watched the lecture in its entirety, use the
rewind feature to plug in any major gaps in your notes. Take notes of the
timestamps of any parts of the lecture you want to revisit later.

Determining what’s important enough to write down

You may be asking yourself how you can identify the main points of a lecture.
Here are some tips for recognizing the most important points in a
lecture:

Introductory remarks often include summaries of overviews of main

points.
Listen for signal words/phrases like, “There are four main…” or “To sum
up…” or “A major reason why…”
Repeated words or concepts are often important.
Non-verbal cues like pointing, gestures, or a vocal emphasis on certain
words, etc. can indicate important points.
Final remarks often provide a summary of the important points of the
lecture.
Consider watching online lectures in real time. Watching the lecture for
the rst time without pausing or rewinding can help force you to focus
on what’s important enough to write down.

Di erent formats for notes

There is no right format to use when taking notes. Rather, there are many
di erent structures and styles that can be used. What’s important is that you
 nd a method that works for you and encourages the use of good note-taking
qualities and stick with it. Here are a few types of formats that you may want to
experiment with:

1. Cornell Notes: This style includes sections for the date, essential question,
topic, notes, questions, and a summary. Check out this link for more
explanation.

2. Outline: An outline organizes the lecture by main points, allowing room for
examples and details.

3. Flowchart/concept map: A visual representation of notes is good for content

that has an order or steps involved. See more about concept mapping here.

4. Charting Method: A way to organize notes from lectures with a substantial

amount of facts through dividing key topics into columns and recording facts
underneath.

5. Sentence Method: One of the simplest forms of note taking, helpful for
disseminating which information from a lecture is important by quickly
covering details and information.

Consider…what’s the best strategy for you:

handwritten, digital, or both?
Taking notes in a way to fully understand all information presented
conceptually and factually may di er between students. For instance, working
memory, or the ability to process and manipulate information in-the-moment,
is often involved in transcribing lecture notes, which is best done digitally; but
there are individual di erences in working memory processes that may a ect
which method works best for you. Research suggests that handwriting notes can
help us learn and remember conceptual items better than digital notes.
However, there are some pros to typing notes on a computer as well, including
speed and storage. Consider these di erences before deciding what is best for
you.
Handwritten Digital
Easier to create diagrams and Faster; easier to take higher volume of
illustrations notes
Sometimes better for visual learners Easier to edit and reorganize for later
studying
Provides more focus for students prone Can be backed up, shared, searched,
to digital distraction etc.
Can be better for comprehension and Can be better for comprehension and
retention of conceptual information retention of factual information

Follow up after class

Part of good note-taking includes revisiting your notes a day or so after class.
During this time, check for clarity, ll in de nitions of key terms, organize, and
gure out any concepts you may have missed or not fully understood in class.
Figure out what may be missing and what you may need to add or even ask
about. If your lecture is recorded, you may be able to take advantage of the
captions to review.

Many times, even after taking good notes, you will need to utilize other
resources in order to review, solidify, question, and follow-up with the class.
Don’t forget to use the resources available to you, which can only enhance your
note-taking. These resources include:

O ce Hours: Make an appointment with your professor or TA to ask

questions about concepts in class that confused you.
Academic Coaching: Make an appointment with an Academic Coach at
 the Learning Center to discuss your note-taking one-on-one, brainstorm
other strategies, and discuss how to use your notes to study better.
Learning Center resources: The Learning Center has many other
handouts about related topics, like studying and making the most of
lectures. Check out some of these handouts and videos to get ideas to
improve other areas of your academics.
Reviewing your notes: Write a summary of your notes in your own
words, write questions about your notes, ll in areas, or chunk them into
categories or sections.
Self -testing: Use your notes to make a study guide and self-test to
prepare for exams.

Works consulted
“The Pen is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over
Laptop Note Taking.” Mueller, P., and Oppenheimer, D. Psychological Science
25(6), April 2014.

“Note-taking With Computers: Exploring Alternative Strategies for Improved

Recall.” Bui, D.C., Myerson, J., and Hale, S. Journal of Educational Psychology,
105(299-309), 2013.

“How To Take Study Notes: 5 E ective Note Taking Methods.” Oxford

Learning. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearning.com/5-e ective-note-
taking-methods/

“Preparing for Taking Notes.” The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved

from http://tutorials.istudy.psu.edu/notetaking/notetaking2.html

“Listening Note Taking Strategies.” UNSW Sydney. Retrieved from https://

student.unsw.edu.au/note-taking-skills
“Note Taking and In-Class Skills.” Virginia Tech University. Retrieved from
https://www.ucc.vt.edu/academic_support/study_skills_information/
note_taking_and_in-class_skills.html

“Lecture Note Taking.” College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University.

Retrieved from https://www.csbsju.edu/academic-advising/study-skills-guide/
lecture-note-taking

“Note Taking 101.” Oregon State University. Retrieved from http://

success.oregonstate.edu/learning/note-taking-tips

“Note Taking. Why Should I Take Notes in Class?” Willamette University.

Retrieved from http://willamette.edu/o ces/lcenter/resources/
study_strategies/notes.html

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and
attribute the source: The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill

If you enjoy using our handouts, we appreciate contributions of

acknowledgement.

Make a Gift