Many of the handout sheets have large gaps under subheadings, so make a decision whether you are going to use these or take notes on separate sheets of paper. Try not to make extra work for yourself by taking notes and then transferring them to the handouts. Many students find taking notes on the handouts is sufficient, but if you do decide to take separate notes, make sure you cross-reference them. You may be surprised to find when you come to revise that you haven’t got a clue which subject they refer to, or even which weekend!
Some students like to type up their notes and again you may find it useful to plan how you are going to set them out first. Notes should not really look like a block of text on a page of a book. Key points need to out at you, so think about using
If you are using an audio cassette, the same principle applies. Also, make sure you are not recording unnecessary sections of the day. Will you ever have the time to listen to a whole weekend again? Will you need to if you have taken sufficient notes? Or perhaps you could just tape certain parts, like a practical demonstration?
Look out for signposts, which may indicate something you need to take down, or the beginning or end of a section:
‘I want to emphasize….’
‘Always remember….’
‘Let’s start with….’
‘Now we’ll go on to….’
‘So, to sum up….’
But you can also spot digressions, (which can give you and the lecturer a break):
‘By the way….’
‘So, to get back to the main point….’
And talking of signposts, remember that using arrows is also a good way of linking points in your own notes!