You walk into a classroom and see several pairs of eyes glued to notebooks!

Random strokes jotting summaries, busy hands drawing diagrams, and linguistic geniuses gazing at their handwritten abbreviations. All these tried and tested note taking methods are used to identify, recall, and spot connections for ages. But with online learning, many students are losing a grip on this habit.

Note taking is a practice that is crucial for success in both traditional and online school settings. Handouts and notes extend superlative support to skim and scan through loads of information/content in less time. During exam time, these skills help students focus better. As it is easy to find all relevant facts/study material in a well-organized manner.

Now that the online learning pathways have made it to the mainstream, there is a serious discussion about the effectiveness of taking down notes by hand (longhand) vs the use of devices.

Let’s walk you through some expert opinions and decode the perfect answer to the question how do I take notes in an online learning environment?

How Many Online Students Make Use of Note Taking Methods and Why Should They Care?

Well, the condition is not very positive.

Purely by numbers, almost 50% of online students prefer to skip the note taking activity completely. And around 70% of them also fail to complete the course reading.

What do these numbers imply in reality?

And how many students are affected by these practices?

Let’s explain through some more statistics.

By the numbers, this weightage is sky-high. Because the online learning phenomenon affects millions of students every year across the U.S.A. and even outside of it.

Some Related Facts

• In the U.S.A., 8.5 million students chose online classes at public higher education institutions (as of 2021).
• 2.7 million students attended private schools.
• 11% (422 institutions) of the U.S. were categorized under ‘online schools’ as they had enrolled 90% of the students in their distance education programs.

Alarming isn’t it?

The advantages of note taking methods or the habit of annotating key points can extend to millions of online students.

While online students are making the most of the impeccable processing advantages of digital devices. There is a scope to help them transform their learning potential with some effective tips on note taking techniques.

Sequential information ahead – Read on!

What is Note Taking?

As simple as it sounds, note taking methods are pretty much a part of formal classroom learning. For ages now, parents and stakeholders have associated this practice as a critical factor for academic success.

But this is really that important to jot down notes, or are used to simply making this up!

Let’s find out.

A research concluded that taking down notes aids the learning process. But again, the support rendered through practice is subject to one’s accuracy along with a couple of other factors (such as the pace of the instructor (teacher), the student’s cognitive load, etc.).

Moving on to the importance part.

The Importance of Note Taking- Why Should You Write Down Key Points?

Enhanced Retention

In our everyday lives, what makes us recall things better?

To some, it is the visual clues, while others find the written text easier to remember.

Similar to most adults, note taking techniques help students to remember, recall, or revisit the core idea of a text better. Most students find this easier to learn at a faster pace with self-written notes. To most students, note taking methods are a primary record of what they have learned. Naturally, it is easier to get back to their original work than referring to a lengthy text elsewhere.

Subject Comprehension

Some students are good at grasping concepts and understanding information. But some aren’t. Besides, many online students have other things to worry about too.

Teens make up for a decent section of summer hires every year in the U.S.A. (18% in 2023 and 15% in 2022). All these life priorities call for a highly planned approach while studying. The most commonly used note taking methods serve just the right purpose by improving comprehension.

And what do experts say about this?

Well, they connect effective note taking with improved concentration, handwriting (traditional methods), understanding, and vocabulary as well.

Over and above these benefits, actively taking notes can also address problems of reading too!

Remember how 70% of online students struggled to develop reading habits.

All sorted with a good practice!

Building Language Skills

Rewriting, summarizing, paraphrasing, or using abbreviations perfectly builds an understanding. It also makes students sure of their writing skills. And teaches them some new tactics like using abbreviations or symbols. To many students who multitask, recalling the information with a single view suffices the right purpose.

And what’s even better is that there can more fun ways of building these habits in students through collaborative ways. (details in the next section.)  

Note taking methods can affect academic performance too:

Take a look:

How to Take Notes in Virtual School?

Be it the online note taking techniques or sticking to traditional ways of using paper and pen. Good practices of taking notes are all about curating information in an organized manner. So as long as a student can access this information seamlessly it’s all good.

For online students, links and web pages can be as good as handwritten text, provided they learn how to arrange information sequentially.

Most online teachers also promote these habits through collaborative activities that students enjoy the most. For instance, groups for fact-checking, value additions, and creating a diagrammatic representation of the information. 

TOP 5 Rock Solid Notes Taking Strategies

Here are some note taking techniques:

1. Cornell Method-

Helps to view the broad concepts at a glance. Divide the sheet/page with a column. And segregate notes with questions/other important information.

2. Mapping Method-

The most complex lectures/topics are the best covered with the mapping method. Students need to simply identify the main idea, and break down facts related to the concepts into smaller parts.

3. Boxed Method-

Suggest this one when the next time a student walks up to you and asks, ‘how do I take notes?’. It’s a simple method that allows grouping similar information in separate columns/boxes for a simplified view.

4. Outlining Method-

Making use of bullet-like representation is one of the popular note taking methods. It’s easy to view. And even easier to retain in mind. Online students who prefer virtual note taking can make use of this technique seamlessly. However, it is equally effective for students who take down handwritten notes.

5. Digital and Hybrid Methods-

Excel sheets (for formulas, etc.), digital apps, to-do lists, sticky notes, word documents, folders, along with traditional notebooks empower students with handy information on the go. 

Final Thoughts

In the present time, teaching and learning processes are way beyond lectures, reading books, writing on the blackboard, or taking notes by hand. Our technologically literate society has certainly made things easier.

However, some of these continue to stay timeless, inevitable, and irreplaceable.

With accuracy and focus, note taking will never go wrong for you!

Pick the right technique and keep your device/writing utensil ready to thrive successfully in an online learning environment!

Frequently Asked Questions

• How to note take?
  Get into the habit of listening actively. And jot down key points in easy language.
• How do I take notes through digital devices?
  Note taking applications like Google Docs, Microsoft Sticky Notes, and similar applications can serve the right purpose.
• What are some common taking notes methods?
  The most common ways of taking notes methods are outlining, boxing, mapping, Cornell, etc. Students can also make use of unstructured ways like paraphrasing, rephrasing, drawing diagrams or even using abbreviations for one’s own understanding.

Suggested Read

• AI In Education: How AI Is Changing The Way We Learn
• Spice Up Virtual Learning With These Fun Classroom Games For Kids
• Minecraft In Education: How To Use Minecraft In The Classroom
• Gamification In Education: Is It Really Helping Students?
• Time Management Skills For Students: How To Thrive In Your Online Classes?
• Surprising Benefits Of Microlearning For Students
• Helicopter Parenting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• Top 10 Homeschool Room Ideas To Stay Organized
• Surprising Benefits of Microlearning for Students
• Blended Learning: What Is It and How Does It Work?
• Online Classroom Management Techniques And Tips

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