Learning Connection
Lectures are a traditional part of learning at university. They are generally fairly formal presentations given by a lecturer to relatively large numbers of students. In a lecture, you are generally expected to be attentive and there are usually very few opportunities for interaction. Lecturers often use resources such as handouts, overhead projection slides and PowerPoint presentations.
Lectures can help you gain:
Taking notes helps you to maintain your concentration throughout the lecture and can reinforce your understanding and retention of the material being presented. Your notes also will be a useful resource when you revise the course for exams.
The more prepared you are for the lecture, the easier it will be for you to follow what the lecturer is saying and concentrate. Knowing some of the key vocabulary and concepts will also make it easier for you to identify the main points being made so that you take more relevant and effective notes.
You can prepare yourself for the lecture by:
The lecturer’s format or plan may be written on the board, on a handout or on an overhead transparency. Some lecturers make their notes available to you on the course homepage before the lecture and you can download these to bring to class.
Most lectures will have an introduction, a development of the topic and a conclusion. Listen particularly for verbal ‘sign-posts’ with which the lecturer reveals how the main points are organised. For example, if the lecturer says ‘I will now outline three major stages in the development of the new legislation’. This is your cue to write down numbers 1, 2 and 3 and to try and note down all three stages next to them.
As you are listening, think about the information you are hearing and seeing. Are there any deeper meanings? What are the relationships between the concepts being presented? Ask yourself critical questions such as:
If the lecturer expects or asks the audience to for questions, do take the opportunity to ask about anything of concern or interest to you. This is one of the most useful ways of maintaining your concentration; it encourages the lecturer and may lead to useful discussion and lively debate among the students.
You will probably develop your own note-taking techniques to suit your purposes but the following strategies will help:
Don’t take too many notes—be selective by identifying the main points and the supporting details. To do this you will need to mentally separate out any examples or digressions from the main points. Put most notes in your own words, except for formulas and definitions. If you miss a point, write down the key words, leave a few lines and get the information from another student after the lecture or check in your textbook to fill in the gap.
Many students, particularly in the sciences, find it very useful to represent ideas and concepts using boxes, grids and flow-charts which show the relationship of the main concept to sub-sets or examples. Try to develop your own system of tables, diagrams or visuals to suit your purposes.
Try to revise your notes as soon as possible after the lecture, adding your own comments or questions. Where material needs to be learned and consolidated for tests or exams, you may even want to rewrite your notes into some other format. As most courses are taught as ‘topics’, you will probably want to link your lecture notes to information from tutorials or practicals. You could then draw up a one or two page summary of the whole topic. It’s also a good idea to develop a reliable filing system for your notes so that they can be found easily whenever you need them.
Adamson, HD 1993, Academic Competence, Longman, New York.
Burdess, N 1991, The handbook of student skills for the social sciences and humanities, Prentice Hall, Brunswick, Victoria.
Hay, I, Bochner, D & Dungey, C 1997 Making the grade, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria.
Percy, D 1983, Study Tactics, Macmillan, Melbourne.
