Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

64 Studying online 
notes that works for them. “If only I knew this when I started” is 
a common feeling amongst many university students. Of course, 
universities do provide study skills advice. Teir websites are full 
of information on all kinds of topics to help students with their 
studies, including notetaking. However, students are frequently 
left to fnd this out for themselves while the academics get on with 
teaching the actual subjects. 
Meanwhile, students become confused as to the best way to take 
notes. Tey will ask one lecturer who will talk about the “best 
notetaking system” while another lecturer will dismiss that idea 
and say that an alternative is “clearly the ultimate method”. You 
can also fnd several discussions on student forums, such as “Te 
Student Room”, which had over 1,300 posts discussing notetaking 
when I wrote this chapter. It is clearly a popular topic, but the 
advice and suggestions on those forums is also just as varied as 
the information you get from lecturers. One of the reasons why 
students only fnd the best notetaking system after trial and error 
is that it is a personal thing. What works for one person does not 
suit another. My method of taking notes is not likely to suit you 
unless you think the same way as me. All we really know is that 
students who take plenty of well-structured notes are the ones 
who do best. So, it is a good idea to get all the trial and error over 
and done with as quickly as possible so that the bulk of your stud-
ies will have excellent notes. 
QUICK TIP: Experiment with various notetaking methods at 
the outset of your studies to fnd one that works best for you. 
 
NOTETAKING METHODS 
AND SYSTEMS 
Most people who make notes simply start writing things down 
on paper, scribbling reminders of what was said in a lecture, or 
summarising the material they have been reading. It is the most 
popular method of taking notes, but also the least efcient. It is 

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