Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Figure 4.6 
A matrix note 

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72 Studying online 
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for book chapters, for example. You can divide the chapter into 
themes or concepts and then make notes in each of the matrix 
sections. In the example in Figure 4.6, you will see this chapter 
summarised in matrix note format. You should be able to see that 
the entire chapter is concisely noted in such a way that you can 
easily pinpoint specifc items. 
Rather like concept maps, matrix notes tend to work best when 
you have studied a topic, and you want to revise it. Tey are also 
very useful in drawing together ideas for an assignment. You can 
easily produce matrix notes in a word processor. Figure 4.6 was 
created in Microsoft Word using the “Insert table” feature. 
PAPER NOTETAKING FOR ONLINE 
STUDYING 
Whatever form of notes you want to keep, it might seem odd that 
I would suggest that you should make your notes on paper when 
you are studying online. However, that is precisely what I am go-
ing to suggest. Tere is a place for digital notetaking, as you will 
discover later in this chapter. However, just because you are study-
ing online does not mean you should give up pen and paper. 
In his review of the literature on notetaking, the American psy-
chologist Michael Friedman says that when people type notes, 
they tend to focus their eforts on the production of the notes 
rather than thinking about the information (Friedman, 2014). In-
deed, research does suggest that when students sit typing as they 
watch lectures or read materials online, they tend to just type 
what they hear or what they are reading. Tere is little thinking 
going on because all the mental efort is spent on typing as much 
as possible. I remember giving a lecture in the Vinson Auditori-
um at the University of Buckingham when a student asked me 
to stop and repeat what I had just said. I asked, “Sorry, didn’t 
I make it clear?” Te student responded, “It’s not about you being 
clear, you were just speaking quickly, and I couldn’t type every-
thing you said”. Rather than listening to establish understanding, 

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