Remember that you are taking notes for someone else, so make your notes as clear as possible, not just in terms of legibility but also in whether someone else can read them for meaning.

Here are some tips for taking good notes:

  • Write the date, title of the session, name of the lecturer/tutor and module at the top of the first page of notes
  • Number each page
  • Write as legibly as possible; ask the student which colour ink they would prefer*
  • Leave at least every other line blank so that the student can add their own notes at a later time
  • Try to leave space in the margin for the same reason
  • If unsure of spelling attempt to write the word phonetically and write ‘sp"’ next to it to remind you to check the spelling after the session
  • Write notes using the same register and technical language used in the lecture, as far as possible
  • Try and write verbatim notes if at all possible; obviously, this will not be possible for an entire session, but the more accurate the notes the more useful they will be as a revision aide
  • When supporting a Deaf student, include any asides or jokes so that the student feels included in the session’s content
  • If a student is Deaf they may need to have popular idioms explained, as English may not be their first language. E.g. instead of writing ‘the lion’s share’ use a blander term such as ‘the largest part’. Similarly, students with autism can be very literal and may also need such idioms explained.

* If taking notes for a visually impaired or blind student the Disability and Dyslexia Service will advise on whether or not to word process the lecture notes and which font, size and electronic format to send them to the student

Most importantly, listen to the feedback from your student and react accordingly. Make sure you ask them if the notes you have taken could be improved or whether there is anything you could do to make them more useful for the student.

Abbreviations: using abbreviations is an obvious way to ensure that you can take down more information. Just check with the student that they know what your abbreviations mean – you could consider using a glossary.

E.g. instead of writing the word ‘psychology’ you could write ‘psych’ or use the Greek letter Ψ (Psi).

Last modified: Thursday, 15 August 2019, 9:27 AM