How to Study

Things you think you might forget
Things you don't understand and need to look up later
Writing things down helps put stuff into your memory
Handwritten vs Typed
Something to refer back to and can help job memory
Can help focus, including things like the action of writing something down to help you stay in the moment
Make connections you didn't see at first
Things you didn't realize were important at the time but actually are once you know more
Can be used as prep work for future assignments and classes, such as writing a paper or doing lab work that needs previous knowledge
Why notes matter

This is a combo of words, doodles and visuals
This is designed for people that are very visual
If you enjoy doodling or visually impressive notes this might be for you
Doodling can improve focus in some people
Artistic ability not required
This can also include things like boxes and highlights, colours, and other ways to distinguish high level concepts or headers
Basic technique is having a header for the page (overall topic), then write/sketch your ideas and what comes to mind as you read/listen
Try it with something new or an article for a quick way to see if you like it

Can be informal, use indents but doesn't have to have full outline (such as all 1 must have 2)
Use the format of an outline
Nest idea to make visualizations easier
Uses heading and sub headings to organize your thoughts
Doesn't need to be perfect, this can be a working document and you can make changes later
You can also do things like take notes and then reorg into an outline to make the knowledge more organized in a way that works for you
Try it with something new such as an article or video to see if you like this

If you process information better using audio you can do things like record classes (with permissions)
Take notes and have a computer or friend read it out and record
Have your textbooks read to you using the computer or a friend (again be careful with permissions and legality)
Some people also process better when talking so you can record yourself talking through problems (this can be a good use of an AI)
Use an AI that has voice capabilities as a way to bounce ideas and remember your train of thought

Can be informal or formal
You can share notes together to see if anything was missed, or important concepts weren't understood
Explaining a concept to someone else really tests your knowledge
For some people having a scheduled meeting time can be good for accountability
You can also talk to others about how they study and see if you want to change your study habits
See what other people find important and relevant to see if you missed anything or you like the way they take notes
It can be a way to feel less alone and less isolated
Sometimes it can feel like you're the only one that doesn't get it even though you probably aren't
Be careful when picking your group so that everyone is a good match and no one is too ahead or behind ( you don't want to spend the whole time explaining to everyone, or be the one that understands nothing the rest of the group is discussing)

Scanning for keywords or concepts
Look at the first sentence of a paragraph as that is usually what the paragraph is about
Make use of table of contents/index/Ctrl-F to find the part you need
For articles look at the abstract to see if it's relevant and potentially save yourself some time
Figure out what you need to know and already know and focus your reading on the part you need
You can skim articles and books to find information or decide if it's relevant before reading thorough for comprehension
Libguide how to read articles and books quickly

If you need to share with others it's important to make sure you have good notes
Typing vs hand writing can be a difference in how easy they are to understand
Short hand unique to you can be hard for others to understand
Having digital notes can be easier to convert for other people (Such as having them read out loud by a computer or person)
AI can be a help with accessibility because it can do things like transcripts of recordings or summarize things for you, (WARNING AI is not always right)
Think about other ways to visualize info such as flowcharts or infographics

Costs money, but very popular for notes so there are lots of tutorials out there
Has lots of colour coding and design options
Comprehensive Guide to Using Goodnotes Classroom

Listen to or watch things related to the topic in other situations such as driving, riding public transit or even as you go to sleep

Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics:

Try this out! Pick 2 YouTube videos, podcasts or articles on something you enjoy. Try 2 of the note taking methods, and go through the video/podcast/article and try to capture the main points for later reference. Answer the following questions

Activity: Listen to This Podcast That was created using AI from these materials. Transcript for the Podcast What are your thoughts? Did the AI do a good job representing the materials? Did you find any mistakes?
Go through This AI generated study guide, what do you think? Did it capture the week materials well? How did you do on the self quiz? Do you know all the vocab used?
Activity: Pair up, each person will pick a topic they find interesting with the goal of teaching someone else about it. Take 5-10 minutes to create some notes on the topic in one of the suggested formats such as outline, sketchnotes, or using flowcharts. Partner A uses their visual sketch notes/flowchart to explain the concept to Partner B, then switch. After you're done each person should evaluate the notes for their partner and ask questions and give feedback on what makes sense and what doesn't. Questions can be asked on the topic to identify where notes could be more detailed.

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