Note taking at university
Do all universities give out lecture handouts before the lecture begins?
I've never gotten a lecture handout before. What subject do you do?
Original post by Mortsfania
Do all universities give out lecture handouts before the lecture begins?
no, many might have resources online that you can download beforehand instead or there might not be a handout at all.
Original post by Mortsfania
Do all universities give out lecture handouts before the lecture begins?
Not typically - lecturers will usually upload the lecture slides beforehand, so you can print them out to take if you want to make notes on them. I've had a small number of handouts in seminars/tutorials, but most of the time lecturers are conscious about how much paper they use.
Original post by princetonalec
I've never gotten a lecture handout before. What subject do you do?
I’m attending chemistry class this September
Original post by PhoenixFortune
Not typically - lecturers will usually upload the lecture slides beforehand, so you can print them out to take if you want to make notes on them. I've had a small number of handouts in seminars/tutorials, but most of the time lecturers are conscious about how much paper they use.
Thanks
so do you recommend to print ahead the paper or to take note straight to your notebook?Original post by claireestelle
no, many might have resources online that you can download beforehand instead or there might not be a handout at all.
Thanks
how do you manage to understand the lectures if there isn’t any handouts? Especially as an international student?Original post by Mortsfania
I’m attending chemistry class this September
Ah, I don't do a science so I can't confidently say you won't get handouts, but i'd be very surprised if you did. I mean ignoring practicalities of it, a University lecturer of all people isn't going to use tonnes of paper.
You'll probably have something online to use.
What usually happens is that the resources are uploaded online (we have a VLE) just before the lecture. Most people take a laptop or ipad to class and make notes electronically but some take paper and some decide to just sit and listen and make notes later (our lectures are recorded so we can watch it back if we miss something).
Handouts aren't really a thing anymore because most people prefer to use electronic versions so it saves on printing costs etc.
Handouts aren't really a thing anymore because most people prefer to use electronic versions so it saves on printing costs etc.
Original post by Mortsfania
Thanks how do you manage to understand the lectures if there isn’t any handouts? Especially as an international student?
how do you manage to understand the lectures if there isn’t any handouts? Especially as an international student?You listen and take notes and think as you go, then do problem sets and background reading etc after the lecture to fill in gaps where you didn't understand straight away. BTW you should NOT expect to understand everything immediately, some concepts from lectures will definitely need extra work to get to grips with, otherwise its not university level
. The expectation is that everyone in the room has adequate English language skills, that's why universities require IELTS or similar before you join to prove that you can handle a course delivered in English.
Original post by Mortsfania
Thanks so do you recommend to print ahead the paper or to take note straight to your notebook?
so do you recommend to print ahead the paper or to take note straight to your notebook?It depends on how you learn best/how you prefer to record what you hear in lectures. Many people religiously printed out the slides and took them to lectures, whilst I preferred to just use my notebook.
For your first question, I find the availability of lecture notes depends on the lecturer.
From my experience at university (note, I studied a STEM subject), I encountered:
1) The entire notes would be uploaded onto the university's online resource (usually known as the "Virtual Learning Environment" or VLE)/lecturer's website etc. so you can print off the lecture notes, read the notes online etc.
The lecturer may elaborate further on the notes and provide extra material so it was not advisable to be absent from lectures and rely on the notes alone.
For this style, I tend to find the online notes may not be released until just before or after the lecture covering the notes.
2) The full printed notes were handed out at the start of the course or sections of the notes were handed out in lessons every so often as you move through the material,
3) No notes provided, so you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes from the lecturer,
4) Notes only covering a summary of the material (so again you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the style I used, I copied down everything the lecturer wrote word-by-word in a exercise book then I would do some background reading afterwards.
As others had stated, it is best to see what is effective for you as my method may not be the best style for you.
Finally, for the situation where notes are absent, @Mr Wednesday gives some good advice over this.
From my experience at university (note, I studied a STEM subject), I encountered:
1) The entire notes would be uploaded onto the university's online resource (usually known as the "Virtual Learning Environment" or VLE)/lecturer's website etc. so you can print off the lecture notes, read the notes online etc.
The lecturer may elaborate further on the notes and provide extra material so it was not advisable to be absent from lectures and rely on the notes alone.
For this style, I tend to find the online notes may not be released until just before or after the lecture covering the notes.
2) The full printed notes were handed out at the start of the course or sections of the notes were handed out in lessons every so often as you move through the material,
3) No notes provided, so you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes from the lecturer,
4) Notes only covering a summary of the material (so again you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the style I used, I copied down everything the lecturer wrote word-by-word in a exercise book then I would do some background reading afterwards.
As others had stated, it is best to see what is effective for you as my method may not be the best style for you.
Finally, for the situation where notes are absent, @Mr Wednesday gives some good advice over this.
Original post by simon0
For your first question, I find the availability of lecture notes depends on the lecturer.
From my experience at university (note, I studied a STEM subject), I encountered:
1) The entire notes would be uploaded onto the university's online resource (usually known as the "Virtual Learning Environment" or VLE)/lecturer's website etc. so you can print off the lecture notes, read the notes online etc.
The lecturer may elaborate further on the notes and provide extra material so it was not advisable to be absent from lectures and rely on the notes alone.
For this style, I tend to find the online notes may not be released until just before or after the lecture covering the notes.
2) The full printed notes were handed out at the start of the course or sections of the notes were handed out in lessons every so often as you move through the material,
3) No notes provided, so you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes from the lecturer,
4) Notes only covering a summary of the material (so again you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the style I used, I copied down everything the lecturer wrote word-by-word in a exercise book then I would do some background reading afterwards.
As others had stated, it is best to see what is effective for you as my method may not be the best style for you.
Finally, for the situation where notes are absent, @Mr Wednesday gives some good advice over this.
From my experience at university (note, I studied a STEM subject), I encountered:
1) The entire notes would be uploaded onto the university's online resource (usually known as the "Virtual Learning Environment" or VLE)/lecturer's website etc. so you can print off the lecture notes, read the notes online etc.
The lecturer may elaborate further on the notes and provide extra material so it was not advisable to be absent from lectures and rely on the notes alone.
For this style, I tend to find the online notes may not be released until just before or after the lecture covering the notes.
2) The full printed notes were handed out at the start of the course or sections of the notes were handed out in lessons every so often as you move through the material,
3) No notes provided, so you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes from the lecturer,
4) Notes only covering a summary of the material (so again you had to turn up to the lectures to copy down the notes).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As for the style I used, I copied down everything the lecturer wrote word-by-word in a exercise book then I would do some background reading afterwards.
As others had stated, it is best to see what is effective for you as my method may not be the best style for you.
Finally, for the situation where notes are absent, @Mr Wednesday gives some good advice over this.
Thanks!
depends on the lecturer I guess
Depends on the uni, course and lecturer. For my course (mathematics), the only handouts we've gotten were weekly assignments which we pass around during lecture. The rest such as lecture notes were usually given by the end of the semester a month before exams (to encourage people to come into lecture), some lecturers do upload them online at the end of every week.
I did a STEM subject for undergrad and we mostly didn't have handouts. I made notes on what the lecturer said that wasn't already on the slides, that way I could spend most of the lecture listening rather than writing and could just look at the actual slides when I got home. Then I copied up every lecture afterwards as I like to have everything neat, tidy and in the same place. Depends on how best you learn, though. A lot of people just take their laptops in but mine is far too heavy to carry on my commute.
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