Note-taking

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Choosing the right technique for you

Remember, there is no one correct note-taking technique and some methods work better for some subjects than other.

You also have to bear in mind how you learn and absorb academic information. For example, some people recall visual information is better than text. Using drawings or mind maps might be more effective in such cases.

How you store and organise your notes can also play a role in deciding on what technique you use to take notes. Using electronic methods can save space and paper but may not be as flexible for recording information as a notebook or loose-leaf paper.

Using One Note and One Drive for notes

As part of your University Office 365 account you have free access to two Microsoft apps: One Note and One Drive. These can make taking, organising and storing your notes faster, more flexible and more secure.

One Note works on PCs, tablets and mobile phones. It will synchronise across all the devices on which it is installed and your notes can be automatically be uploaded to your One Drive which will keep them safely for you to access whenever you need them. You can even upload your lecturers' slideshows into it from Blackboard and keep notes alongside the slides.

Tessa Weidmann, a student from the University of Cincinnati, has produced an excellent summary of how she uses One Note for the Microsoft Education blog here:

Back to school: How a college student gets the most out of OneNote.

If you would like to start using these apps, IT Services can offer help getting you set up and ready to go.

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Note-taking

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