How to actually take notes in a uni lecture

There is no point attending a uni lecture and not taking notes. After all, most lecturers will only have the basic information on the lecture slides which you can read anytime. Lecturers will explain each point in more detail and will likely give extra information and examples that are not mentioned on the slides. However, you cannot write down every single word the lecturer says. Instead you need to try and note down key pieces of information which you think will most benefit your understanding.

Here are some tips for effective note taking during uni lectures.

Print off the slides in advance 

Most university lectures are delivered using presentation slides I.e PowerPoint or Keynote. Usually, these are uploaded in advance so students can read them before and afterwards. 

You may decide to print a copy so you can add notes to them. Some lecturers are known to leave blanks in the lecture slides (to encourage students to actually attend) so you can easily fill them in.

Use a laptop/tablet 

The majority of students nowadays use a laptop or tablet to take notes in lectures. If you look around your lecture hall the chances are you will see most students sitting behind a laptop. 

You can either type the notes in a blank document or, if the lecturer has sent you the slides in advance, use the speaker notes to type your notes directly on to the slide. 

Typing your notes means you can save them to your laptop (meaning you are unlikely to lose them), share them easily with other people and add to them if you need to. 

Write your notes in a notepad 

Some students may prefer to hand write their notes in a notepad. It is argued that handwriting notes helps you to learn them better as your brain has to actually engage with the words. 

Tips for writing your notes

Don’t try to copy everything off the slide

There is no point wasting time trying to copy down everything on the slide especially if this has been sent to you already. Instead, focus on writing down what the lecturer is actually saying as this is probably the most useful part. 

If the lecturer hasn’t sent the slides round in advance ask them if you can have a copy or (with their permission) take a photo of it. Please be respectful though and ask first. 

Highlight anything your lecture suggests may be particularly useful 

Some lecturers may tell you if something they are discussing is a key piece of knowledge or something that will benefit your understanding of the rest of the course. 

If you are very lucky (and your lecturer is especially nice) they may drop subtle hints about content that may or may not be covered in your exam or may be useful to include in your essay. 

Share notes with fellow students 

There is no reason why you can’t share your notes with other students. Perhaps someone had a different way of wording something that you find helpful. Or you missed something that someone else managed to write down? 

You could share notes by emailing them to each other or even uploading them to a Whatsapp, Facebook, Microsoft Teams or Google Docs page.