This document provides training for students serving as note-takers for students with disabilities at Kent State University. It covers the responsibilities of note-takers, appropriate note-taking formats and content, and techniques for active listening and recording lecture information. Note-takers are expected to attend all classes, submit timely notes, and complete an instructor verification form to confirm their role. The training emphasizes capturing the essence of lectures in a clear, organized format to benefit students who require note-taking accommodations.

1. NOTE-TAKER TRAINING
Kent State University
Student Accessibility
Services
DeWeese Health Center, Ground
Floor
www.kent.edu/sas 330.672.339

2. WELCOME
Thank you for accepting a note-taking assignment for Kent State
University!
What you can expect to learn in this training:
The WHY
General responsibilities
The WHAT
The HOW
If you have any questions while completing the training, please contact the SAS
Note-taking Coordinator at 330-672-3391.

3. WHY BE A NOTE-TAKER?
There are laws! Note-taking is an accommodation that can help to
provide equal access to classroom instruction for certain students with
disabilities. Being a note-taker is a serious responsibility. Students
receiving your notes may be visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing,
have physical and/or cognitive impairments.
The two laws below ensure equal access in a post-secondary
education environment. To learn more about the laws, click on the
links below.
The WHY
Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (ADA)
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

4. WHAT DOES NOTE-TAKING
PROVIDE?You
•Receive up to $100
•Include service on your
resume
•Improve your own quality
of notes
•Assist a peer
Thestudent
•Ability to focus on the
teacher and/or interpreter
•Ability to participate
•Confidence that no
important information was
missed
The WHY

5. LET’S TALK RESPONSIBILITIES
Qualities of a good note-taker (that’s
you!)
How YOU can make it happen
Responsible: Good attendance & has appropriate materials
ready
Prompt: Arrives to class on time; submits notes for
every class
Ethical: Keeps information anonymous; you won’t
know who you are taking notes for unless
approached by the student.
Discernment: Knows when to ask questions & knows when
to bring a situation to the Note-taking
Coordinator
Non-judgmental: SAS determines eligibility for who receives
notes
Reliable: Checks emails regularly and responds when
prompted. Students are relying on you for
Responsibilities

6. NOTES SUBMISSIONS
Submitting notes
 Consider how often the class meets (see
table for general timeline). If you choose to
submit less than the class meets (i.e. 2x a
week for a 3 day a week class), you still
MUST include notes for each class session.
 Special reminder for tests and quizzes:
Make sure all notes are submitted the day
before the test/quiz
 If you are absent, it is your responsibility to
secure back-up notes from a peer and
submit those.
General Guidelines
Meets X number per
week
Submissions per week
1 1
2 1-2
3 2-3
4 2-4
5 3-5
Responsibilitie
s
There are always exceptions. If you have a unique situation, keep the SAS Note-taking
Coordinator informed. Communication is key.

7. TO-DO
Confirm note-taking assignment by following email instructions
Familiarize yourself with uploading notes using SAS Online Services
(found in Learn folder) and contact the SAS Note-taking Coordinator
if other arrangements are needed
Note this will not be addressed in this training- you are responsible to read the
content in Learn
Retrieve your gift card at the end of the semester
1. Take this training
2. Submit timely notes
3. Complete the Instructor Verification Form
Responsibilities
If any anytime in the semester, you find yourself unable to continue taking notes, contact
the SAS Note-taking Coordinator.

8. NOTE-TAKERS ARE
ACTIVE LISTENERS
How can you improve your active
listening?
Responsibilities

9. ACTIVE LISTENING ACTIVITY:
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND
Responsibiliti
es
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VOubV
B4CTU

10. VIDEO REFLECTION
Short fun clip, but how does this relate to note-taking? Let’s pick out
three important points from listening to Raymond.
oReflect - back
 Ray used paraphrasing skills to note what was being said
oNon-judgmental
 In class, sometimes when we disagree, we begin to disengage. Your notes must
include the information from the class whether you agree or disagree with what is
being taught in a non-bias manner.
oAsking questions to clarify
 We encourage you to ask questions during class to confirm or clarify information!

11. WHAT IS NOTE-TAKING?!
Let’s check with Wikipedia…
Now, let’s add a piece from edtechwiki:
Pretty cool, eh? [my comments, not Wikipedia’s]
The WHAT
“Note-taking is the practice of recording information captured from another source.
By taking notes, the writer records the essence of the information, freeing their mind
from having to recall everything [genius, right?]. Notes are commonly drawn from a
transient [temporary] source, such as an oral discussion at a meeting, or a lecture
[class discussion, guest speakers, etc…], in which case the notes may be the only
record of the event. Note taking is a form of self-discipline [learned, not innate].”
Note-taking is the practice of writing down pieces of information in a systematic
way [having a system is important].

12. LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
We will use the previous definition to guide the next part of our
training!
“…practice of recording information captured from
another source…(in a systematic way)”
“…records the essence of the information…”
“… from a transient [temporary] source…”
The WHAT

13. RECORDING INFORMATION:
METHODS
Methods
Laptop
OtherHandwritten
The HOW
Bring your laptop to
class and type notes.
Set pre-made
templates. Readily
insert graphs and
charts.
Or “re-write” notes by
typing after class.
Handwritten notes force the
writer to paraphrase and keep
information concise. Many
prefer handwritten. They also
allow for drawing or pictorial
references. These notes can be
typed after class if desired.
Other:
• Carbonless paper
provided by SAS. Layers
of paper that
automatically copies
your notes- conducive
for math.
• IPad
• Apps
• PowerPoint: within the
PPT provided by the
professor

14. RECORDING INFORMATION:
FORMATS
Cornell Outline Mapping
The HOW
There are other options, but we will focus on three: Cornell, Outline
& Mapping

15. FORMATS: CORNELL
NOTES
2 vertical columns: Notes & Cue
Notes: Twice the size of the Cue
column filled out during class
Cue: Main ides, key words/vocab,
questions filled out during or after
class for emphasis and further
understanding
1 horizontal column
Summary: Main ideas of the entire
lecture- filled out after class- ties
everything together and indicates
the main take-aways.
The HOW

16. CORNELL EXAMPLES
The HOW

17. FORMATS: OUTLINE
(FORMAL)
Formal:
- Roman numerals (I): Topic
- Capital letters (A): Main idea
- Numbers (1): Supporting
information
- Lower case letters (a): More detail
Great way to organize your thoughts
for a speech/essay.
Outlines use phases & single words and few
sentences.
The HOW

18. FORMATS: OUTLINE
(INFORMAL)
Informal
Follows the similar concept of topics,
main ideas, supporting information
and further details and retains similar
spacing but omits the formal roman
numerals & letters.
Generally more conducive to taking
notes.
The HOW

19. OUTLINE EXAMPLES
The HOW

20. FORMATS: MAPPING
• Topic
• Main idea
• Supporting idea/detail
• Further details
Sound familiar?
Similar to outlines but includes
unique space, shapes, bubbles and
arrows!
The HOW

21. MAPPING EXAMPLES
The HOW

22. MAPPING: BIG BANG THEORY, CHECK OUT SHELDON’S
MAPPING (FLOW CHART) OF AN ALGORITHM- GREAT OPTION
FOR CONDITIONALS AND SEQUENCES AS WELL!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0xgjUhEG3
U

23. FORMAT REVIEW: WHICH DO I USE?
Consider YOUR style
Consider the class
Consider the source (lecture/discussion/guest)
Mix it up! Combine pieces of each – it’s okay!
Don’t be afraid to try a few out
What do you notice represents the information in the clearest
way
The HOW

24. FORMATTING: TIPS
Write headings in color; we love color!
Don’t cram information! This may work for you, but
someone else needs to read your notes and possibly
add their own.
Skip lines to make it easier to read and add notes.
Neat penmanship if writing by hand! Legibility, people!
The HOW

25. MOVING ON…
Remember that Wikipedia definition “… from a transient [temporary]
source…”? Consider the sources you may be taking notes from:
 Instructors
 Classmates
 Discussions & QA
 Written sources: black/white boards, books, poems, etc…
 Guest speakers
 Videos
 Demonstrations
 Labs
The HOW

26. AND FINALLY,
“…records the essence of the information…”
Remember those English classes teaching you about paraphrasing and
identifying the key points in a message? There are important skills in
note-taking as well.
The following slides will discuss
Content
Tips
The HOW

27. BUT FIRST, A LITTLE VIDEO…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNPVtuh92fg

28. CONTENT:
WHAT TO INCLUDE
Moral of the previous video: including everything verbatim is not
helpful.
By following one of our preferred formats, those will guide you to
ensure you include the topic, main idea, supporting ideas and details.
Within that information, you should include and listen/watch for:
New/difficult vocabulary
Common sense information: Common sense isn’t common to
everyone .
References to other sources: Include page number/names of outside
references
Information provided on the white/black board
Changes in professor intonation or pace: generally indicates
The HOW

29. CONTENT:
WHAT TO INCLUDE
Notes should be representative of the entire class session, from
the beginning to the end of class. Aside from instruction,
include any other important information (often announced at the
beginning/end of class).
Announcements
Assignment details
Due dates
Course schedule information
The HOW

30. CONTENT:SOMETIMES IT IS ANNOUNCED THAT ACTIVITIES/DISCUSSIONS/LABS ARE SIMPLY FOR YOUR LEISURE
LEARNING ENJOYMENT AND OTHER TIMES THE INFORMATION IS GOING TO BE ON A TEST OR
REQUIRED FOR AN ASSIGNMENT; HOW YOU TAKE NOTES MAY DIFFER.
Required for an assignment
Take notes as normal
•Main idea
•Supporting ideas/details
•Clarifying source of
information
•Including specific
pages/minutes for later
reference
For general information
Modified notes
•Specify the source (video,
movie, lab, discussion)
•Indicate purpose
•Provide a short synopsis with
the main take-away
*These are general guidelines. Depending on feedback from the person receiving notes, the SAS Note-taking
Coordinator may provide different guidelines.
The HOW

31. CONTENT: TIPS
Be aware of your surroundings to recognize sources of important info.
Use abbreviations. Be consistent.
Tag information with boxes, stars, or other markers for emphasis.
Use color to organize chunks of information. Remember, we love
color!
Be concise.
Include diagrams, pictures and/or graphs to represent information.
Indicate if information is coming from a source other than the
professor.
Review your notes & clarify information as needed.
The HOW

32. WHEW… THAT WAS A LOT
OF INFO!

33. VALUE
We VALUE our
students.
Our students
VALUE your notes.
We VALUE you!

34. QUALITY
In order to ensure quality and appropriate notes for each class, you
need to submit an Instructor Verification Form within the first two
weeks of your note-taking assignment. Also found in Learn.
You will fill out the top and submit to the instructor within the first
week of taking notes in the class.
Once your instructor has signed and completed the form, you will
need to return the form to SAS. Completed forms can be returned to
the Student Accessibility Services office in person (DeWeese Health
Center, Ground Floor), emailed to sasnotes@kent.edu, or faxed to
330-672-3763.

35. WHAT’S NEXT?
You’ve learned the why, what and how of note-taking. Your next
steps.
Check your kent.edu email regularly. Follow email instructions
regarding assignments and confirmations.
Familiarize yourself the “SAS Note-Takers” course in Blackboard
LEARN. A whole course just for you!
Review the LEARN folder for the process of uploading your notes. If
you are unable to upload notes, make arrangements with the SAS
Note-taking Coordinator.
Ensure your online account is updated each semester for easy
matching!

36. COMPLETION
You have now completed the note-taking training. Follow this link for
a quiz.
Quizzes must be completed within 2 weeks of your note-taking
assignment to receive the $100 gift card.
If you have any questions, please contact
 SAS Note-taking Coordinator, 330-672-3391 or sasnotes@kent.edu

37. REFERENCES
Bambrick-Santoyo, P. (2014). Make students college-ready in high
school. Kappan Magazine, 72-32
Steimle, J., Brdiczke, O. & Muhlhauser, M. (2009). Collaborative
paper-based annotation of lecture slides. Educational Technology &
Society, 12(4), 125-137.
Pauk, W., & Owens, R. J. Q. (2011). How to study in college. Boston,
MA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Weishaaw, M., & Boyle, J. (1999). Note-Taking Strategies for students
with Disability. 72(6), 392-395.
The University of Akron, Office of Accessibility. Online Notetaker
Training. Retrieved on May 1, 1015 from
http://www.uakron.edu/access/notetakers/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Note-taking. (2015, May 1)