Visual Thinking: Exploring current practices and perspectives re student notetaking

Authors

  • Dawne Irving-Bell Edge Hill University
  • Peter Hartley Edge Hill University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi25.963

Abstract

Despite its importance, student note taking is under-researched and under-theorised. Many studies are outdated, analysing pre-digital behaviour. Hence, we question whether earlier findings still apply (as does van der Meer, 2012). Although we find some innovations useful, such as collaborative note taking (Orndorff, 2015), much recent research is also problematic. For example, consider widely reported claims that students taking longhand notes perform better than students using laptops (Mueller and Oppenheimer, 2014). Recent studies suggest more complex relationships (Luo et al., 2018) but typically adopt short-term experimental approaches. As a result, current advice and guidance for university students tends to be limited, often listing different techniques with relatively little commentary/analysis.

This session enabled participants to review progress on this ALDinHE supported project, inviting discussion on issues/development regarding our three main aims to:

  • Investigate current students’ note taking practices/preferences and develop transferable models to inform guidance and further research.
  • Pilot structured interventions, introducing different methods.
  • Produce/disseminate tools/approaches for longer-term investigation and application/adaptation by colleagues elsewhere.

Author Biographies

Dawne Irving-Bell, Edge Hill University

Dawne Irving-Bell, Ph.D. is a Reader in Teaching and Learning. She is a National Teaching Fellow (NTF), Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), holds a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) and received a National Award from her subject association in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Teacher Education. With a passion for visual-thinking and technology education, Dawne established ‘The National Teaching Repository’, an Open Education Resource with proven reach and impact across the global Higher Education community.

Peter Hartley , Edge Hill University

Peter Hartley is a Higher Education Consultant, National Teaching Fellow and Visiting Professor at Edge Hill University, following previous roles as Professor of Education Development at Bradford and Professor of Communication at Sheffield Hallam. His ongoing consultancy includes mentoring NTF/CATE applicants, institutional strategies for learning technology/spaces and assessment (see the PASS project at https://www.bradford.ac.uk/pass/) Now involved in the new SEDA/Jisc Student Partnership Impact Award, he co-authored the second edition of Success in Groupwork, with Mark Dawson and Sue Beckingham (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/success-in-groupwork-9781350933491/).

References

Baff, D., Beckingham, S., Faulkner, S., Hallam, S., Hartley, P., Irving-Bell, D., Swanton, K. and Wooff, D. (2022) The Great Global Notetaking Survey. National Teaching Repository. https://doi.org/10.25416/NTR.20036534.

Clark, J. M. and Paivio, A. (1991) ‘Dual coding theory and education’, Educational Psychology Review, 3, pp.149–210 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320076.

Fernandes, M. A., Wammes, J. D. and Meade, M. E. (2018) ‘The surprisingly powerful influence of drawing on memory’, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(5), pp.302-308. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721418755385.

Hartley, P. (2022). Concept mapping using Cmap. National Teaching Repository. Poster. https://doi.org/10.25416/NTR.21379242.

Irving-Bell, D., Cuthbert, K., Tasler, N. and Stinson, L. (2021). Scholarship and Impact. National Teaching Repository https://doi.org/10.25416/edgehill.16602089.

Kinchin, I. M., Möllits, A. and Reiska, P. (2019) ‘Uncovering types of knowledge in concept maps’, Education Sciences, 9(2), p.131. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/2/131 (Accessed: 25 July 2019).

Luo, L., Kiewra, K. A., Flanigan, A. E. and Peteranetz, M. S. (2018) ‘Laptop versus longhand note taking: effects on lecture notes and achievement’, Instructional Science. 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-018-9458-010.1007/s11251-018-9458-0.

Mueller, P. A. and Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014) ‘The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop notetaking’, Psychological Science, 25(6), pp. 1159-1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581.

Orndorff, H. N. (2015) ‘Collaborative note-taking: the impact of cloud computing on classroom performance’, International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(3), pp.340-35. Available at https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1093744 (Accessed: 20 October 2022).

Van der Meer, J. (2012) ‘Students’ note-taking challenges in the twenty-first century: considerations for teachers and academic staff developers’, Teaching in Higher Education, 17(1), pp.13-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2011.590974.

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Published

28-10-2022

How to Cite

Irving-Bell, D. and Hartley , P. (2022) “Visual Thinking: Exploring current practices and perspectives re student notetaking”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (25). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi25.963.

Issue

No. 25 (2022): Special Edition, ALDinHE Conference Proceedings and Reflections

Section

Conference Proceedings

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