You Should Be Taking Lecture Notes by Hand

If you’re like most students, you’re always on the lookout for the latest-and-greatest way to boost your memory, improve your lecture notes and get more out of your in-class time. You’ve probably experimented with a variety of note taking apps, digital devices and techniques; maybe you’ve found something that works well for you, but did you know that the most effective way to take lecture notes is by hand?

That’s right – taking lecture notes with a plain old pad of paper and a pencil can make you a better, more satisfied student!

Princeton Study Proves That Handwritten Lecture Notes Are Better

Not convinced? According to a recent study by Pam Mueller, a psychology grad student at Princeton University and Dr. Danny Oppenheimer, students who took lecture notes by hand (instead of using a laptop, tablet or other device) performed much better on post-lecture conceptual questions than students who used digital note taking devices.

Why? The researchers made a few key discoveries about handwritten lecture notes. First of, they realized that students who used laptop computers for note taking tended to simply transcribe the lecture, whereas students using a pencil and paper actually summarized the lecture. This led to better results for the handwritten note-takers on tests administered both immediately after the lecture and a week later.

The takeaway? Students who took lecture notes by hand demonstrated better comprehension of the lecture content (when compared to digital note-takers); this led to improved test scores and a greater overall sense of satisfaction with their educational experience.

Note Taking Tips & Tricks

Here’s a few quick tips to help you maximize your handwritten lecture notes:

Always add the date, class name and topic to each page when note taking – this will help keep you organized and focused.
Don’t try to transcribe the entire lecture – remember you’re taking lecture notes, not working as a court reporter.
Use bullet points, key words and short sentences.
Leave lots of space between the main concepts so you can add more information later – this is especially important if your lecturer tends to get side-tracked easily.
Pick a style and stick to it – when it comes to note taking, there are no ‘right and wrong’ ways to do it, however, a consistent style will make the notes easier to read and understand.
Use full-sized, lined paper – unless you have perfect handwriting (which is extremely rare) the lines will help make your lecture notes legible.
Read over your lecture notes shortly after taking them (preferably within an hour or so) – this gives you a chance to add in extra info and it helps with both short and long-term memory.
Reserve the left-hand margin for question marks – this makes it easy to scan your notes for areas where you need more information or clarification.

So before you head to your next class, why not stock up on a few #2 pencils and a pad of lined paper? For less than the price of a latte, you can gear up with all the note taking supplies you need to help you remember your next lecture!