This document provides training for note takers assisting students through the Office of Academic Support. It reviews why note taking accommodations are provided according to US law, examples of students who may need notes, situations where notes are needed, and benefits to both students and note takers. Guidelines are given for note takers, including attending class regularly, having legible handwriting, labeling notes, and maintaining confidentiality. Strategies are suggested to improve note taking such as using different formats and noting important information from instructors.

1. Framingham State University
Office of Academic Support
Note TakerNote Taker
TrainingTraining
05/02/15 1Note Taker Training

2. Congratulations on your job as a Note Taker
for the Office of Academic Support!
• Review this PowerPoint presentation.
• Complete a contract for payroll purposes.
Please see Vikky Angelico or Kevin Long
in CASA.
Here are a few items you need to complete:
05/02/15 2Note Taker Training

3. Why does Academic Support provide
note taking accommodations?
• The U.S. Government has established
laws to protect the civil rights of
citizens/students with disabilities.
• For further information, click on the
following links.
– Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) 1990.
• www.ada.gov
– Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973.
• http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/504.ht
ml
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 3

4. Students eligible for note taking
services
There are many different reasons why
students registered with the Office of
Academic Support may be in need of a
notetaker.
Examples include:
• Students who are hard of hearing or deaf.
• Students with low vision or who are blind.
• Students with dexterity/motor skill
difficulty.
• Students with learning disabilities.
• Students with ADD/ADHD.
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 4

5. Academic situations where a note taker might be
needed
• Class or lab lectures
• Class discussion
• Class guest speakers
• Class videos or films
• Class field trips or
experiential learning
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 5

6. What are the benefits for the student receiving notes?
• Allows student to focus on the instructor.
• Provides student with accurate information.
• Increases student’s confidence-
– Student knows that he/she is receiving
accurate information.
• Gives student access to classroom
information that may have otherwise been
missed.
• Gives student the opportunity to participate in
classroom discussion.
• Supplements the student’s notes and provides
a tool for notetaking improvement .
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 6

7. What are the benefits for the volunteer note taker?
• Payment and exchange!
Note takers receive a $200 stipend. You will receive
your stipend at the end of the semester if your
contract is completed in a timely manner.
Note takers must sign a semester contract with the
Office of Academic Support . The contracts are to be
filled out completely and returned to Vikky
Angelico in office #5 at CASA.
If the contract is incomplete, the Office of Academic
Support will return it to you. You will not be
entered into the payroll system (i.e., you will not be
PAID!) until your contract is complete.
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 7

8. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 8
Note taking Guidelines
1. Attend class regularly.
2. Have legible handwriting or be able to provide typed notes.
3. WRITE IN PEN, NOT PENCIL.
4. Drop off notes (labeled with course and section number) in hanging
file folder located at CASA. Due to the nature of their disability, some
students may require their notes to be typed; this information will be
provided to you at your hire.
5. Amount of stipend will be prorated if student drops the course.
Students who have a note taker understand that receiving notes is not a
substitute for class attendance.

9. Other important items to consider
• Note takers must practice confidentiality and not share any
information regarding the student that they are providing notes for.
• Note takers must provide notes in a timely manner (24-48 hours
after each class). If a note taker is unable to meet this demand their
pay will be compromised. The note taking binder is checked to
ensure that notes are being dropped off each week.
• Note takers should do their best to provide the instructor’s
information, views and opinions and should refrain from interjecting
their own opinions in this information.
• Note takers should follow up with the Office of Academic Support if
there are any questions/concerns.
05/02/15 9Note Taker Training

10. Strategies to assist you in taking more
accurate, complete, and organized notes
• Use a ball point pen for notetaking.
• Put a heading and a date on your notes for each class
session.
• If possible, use a similar notetaking format throughout
the semester.
• Leave margin space on the paper for the student to add
his/her own comments later.
• Make sure your handwriting is legible.
• Correct spelling errors and make sure all abbreviations
have been properly placed.
05/02/15 10Note Taker Training

11. Note Taking Formats
• The following slides provide you with examples of
note taking formats you might wish to use.
– Two-Column Format
– Outline Format
– Paragraph Format
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 11

12. Example of a Note Taking Format
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 12
RCS 6080 02/03/06
Prof. Swett Page 1
(Header info on 1st
page) (Date & number each page)
Use this column to
emphasize Key Points
Jeremy Lott – guest
speak
jlott@ufl.edu
Psychiatric
Disorders
Note:
Jermey’s PowerPoint
presentation will be
posted on Dr. Swett’s
webpage
Note: There is
Bipolar I
And Bipolar II
Intern ship Sites
for Psychiatric
Disorders
Use this column for taking notes as usual.
Mood Disorders
• Depression:
Treatment
o Psychotherapy
o ECT – Electro Convulsive Therapy
o Medications > prozac, Zoloft, wellbutrin
• Vocational Applications
o Miss work & lower productivity
• Accommodation
o Change work environment
Bibolar Disorder
• Manic-depressive
• Episodes of depression an mania
• Elevated mood swings
• Symptoms
o Grandiosity, der. Sleep, rushed speech
• With mania - sometimes hallucinations
• Follow a depression episode
• Treatment
o Individual psycho-therapy
o Medications
 Lithium, depakote, zyprexa
o Crisis stabilitation
Recommendations for internship sites:
1. Meridian
2. Vista
3. Metamorphosis
• Fold paper or use
ruler to make
dividing line.
• Take notes as usual
in larger column.
• Fill in key points
column with words
or phrases to alert
you.
Two-Column Format

13. Example of a Note Taking Format
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 13
RCS 6080 02/04/06
Prof. Swett Page 1
(Header info on 1st
page) (Date & number every page)
I. Persons With Disabilities (PWD) labeling
A. Language
1. PWD places person first
2. Helps decrease labeling & stereotyping
B. If unsure
1. Ask person
2. may have a cultural preference
a. Deaf
II. Categories of Disabilities
A. Physical
B. Visual (sensory)
C. Cognitive
D. Hearing (sensory)
III. Rehabilitation Disciplines
A. Physiatry
1. non-surgical (therapy)
a. emphasis is reconditioning
B. Physical Therapy (PT)
1. mobility & strength
C. Occupational Therapy (OT)
1. activities of daily living (ALD)
D. Speech Language Therapy
1. expressive & receptive skills
2. eating & swallowing
E. Rehab counselor
1. case manager
a. discharge planning
Physiatry: physis (nature) + iatreia (healing) = rehabilitation
• Label outline levels.
• Be consistent in your
labeling.
• Each level can be one
word or short phrase.
• Leave space for
editing later.
Outline Format

14. Examples of Note Taking Format
05/02/15 Note Taker Training 14
RCS 6080 02/04/06
Prof. Swett Page 1
(Header info on 1st
page) (Date & umber every page)
Persons With Disabilities (PWD) & Rehabilitation Disciplines
Person first language places the person before the disability. This
helps decrease labeling and stereotyping.
If you are unsure how to address a PWD ask them for their
preference. For example some people that are deaf or blind
prefer to acknowledge their disability first for cultural reasons.
Categories of Disabilities include:
• Physical
• Visual (sensory)
• Cognitive
• Hearing (sensory)
There are various types of disciplines within rehabilitation. These
disciplines may include:
• Physiatry which takes a non-surgical approach (therapy) to
rehabilitation. The emphasis is on reconditioning.
• Physical therapy works directly with mobility.
• Occupational therapy works specifically with activities of daily
living.
• Speech language therapy increase expressive and receptive
language skills and also assists in developing chewing and
swallowing skills.
• Rehab counselors often referred to as case managers are
mostly involved in outpatient discharge planning.
Physiatry: physis (nature) + iatreia (healing) = rehabilitation
• Each sentence should
express a complete
thought.
• Keep paragraphs
short.
• Make sure important
info is not buried in
the text.
• Leave plenty of white
space for editing
notes.
Paragraph Format

15. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 15
Other Strategies
“Teacher Clues”
•Lecture Cues
•Right before a teacher presents
important lecture points he/she may say
something like, “it is really important to
remember that…” or “you should
remember that…”
•Teachers say these statements to let
students know that the information that
follows is important. Of course, the
obvious lecture cue is “this will be on the
test.”

16. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 16
Other Strategies
“Teacher Clues”
•Notes of the Board (Or Overhead)
•If the teacher writes or spells
words, write them down along
with detailed information about
the word. Usually, a teacher will
spell new vocabulary or really
important words. If the teacher
places information on the board or
overhead, it should be in your
notes.

17. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 17
Completing Note Taker Training
•Verify completion of your note taker training by printing this slide and
bringing it to Kevin Long in Office 5 when you drop off your contract
“Note Taker Training Completed: ________________________________”
(insert your first & last name here)
•Please leave the body of your email blank

18. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 18
•Boyle, Joseph R. PhD. (2001). Enhancing the Note-Taking Skills of
Students with Mild Disabilities. 1-7. Learning Disabilities OnLine.
Retrieved September 8, 2003, from www.ldonline.com
•Boyle, Joseph R. (2001). Helping Students to Become Better Note-Takers
Through Better Lectures. 1-7. Learning Disabilities OnLine.
Retrieved September 8, 2003, from www.ldonline.org
•Boyle, Joseph R. & Weishaar, Mary Konya. (n.d.) Note-Taking for Students
with Mild Disabilities: The Art of Note-Taking. 1-2. Family
Education Network. Retrieved September 8, 2003, from
www.familyeducation.com
•University of Colorado at Boulder. (n.d.) Online Notetaker Training.
Retrieved 04/17/2008, from
www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices/notetaking/mod01/html
•University of Florida. (n.d.) Note-taker Training Disability Resource Center
Retrieved 04/17/2008, from http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/
References

19. 05/02/15 Note Taker Training 19
Office of Academic Support:
Contact Information
Molly Goguen, Note Taking Coordinator
CASA office #5
mgoguen1@framingham.edu
508-626-4509
Vikky Angelico, Academic Support Coordinator
CASA office #5
vangelico@framingham.edu
508-626-46247