Improving the Quality of Student Notes. ERIC/AE Digest.

Several recent investigations have suggested that students need help with their notes, as even successful students may fail to record many ideas communicated by the lecturer. Results also suggest that there is value in having students participate in the notetaking process in that they are more likely to remember what they have noted, even if full notes are provided by the instructor. Several studies have indicated that students are able to achieve more on tests when they are provided with partial notes to review. Several formats have been examined for partial notes, and it appears that skeletal notes, with the main ideas supplied and space left for students to fill in the gaps, are the most effective. Ideally, the instructor is advised to provide both skeletal notes before the lecture and detailed notes afterward to afford maximum benefits to the students. The disadvantages of detailed notes, particularly in terms of instructor time, mean that few will choose this option. It can also be argued that students should improve the quality of their own notes to enhance the learning process. Providing skeletal notes in increasing quantity as a function of the lecturer's increasing information density is a suggested compromise. (Contains 7 references.) (SLD)