Just before exams started, I experimented with a new note-taking method as part of my revision process. I’ve since decided to use this method for all of my notes for the foreseeable future.
Being deaf, I’m eligible for a DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) grant, which would provide for services such as note-taking and video transcriptions. However… me being the good coder I am, I’m also inherently lazy (this post may well have a few contradictions, I’ll warn you in advance!), I haven’t yet applied for DSA, so I don’t get any notetakers or anything. This, however, was also partly a justified choice on my part – while I’ve had note-takers in the past, I found that I generally did better in subjects in which I did not have a note-taker, and this got me thinking – was the note-taker holding me back?
The answer, I believe, was a resounding “yes”. While I would attempt to pay attention in lessons/lectures, I undoubtedly had the “well, I can always refer to the notes I’ll be given” mentality, which resulted in a smaller attention span. I never did refer to those notes.
If I don’t have a note-taker, I know that in order to do well, I will have to pay attention to the lecturer. Unfortunately, due to my disability, I am unable to take notes and listen simultaneously.
I’ve started using PBWorks for my notes. I’ll pay attention in the lecture, leave the lecture, and while the knowledge is still fresh in my head, I open up my PBWorks wiki and start writing up all of the notes from the lecture, using the slides as a visual reminder for what was covered. If there is something I don’t fully understand, I will research the topic in detail – resulting in higher-quality notes. As an example, a set of (incomplete) notes from last semester’s CS221 module can be seen here. The notes are much more in-depth than the slides – as well as many, many times easier to read.
While this may not (at first glance) seem to adhere with my “be lazy” principles, adding to a single set of notes for each module will inherently require me to refer back to previous notes in order to refresh my knowledge about a particular topic before I am able to complete a full set of notes for a given lecture. This allows one to subconsciously review course material throughout the entire duration of the course, the knock-on effect of which is a reduced requirement for revision before the exam.
this.lazy++;
