College Lecture Notes
Taking good lecture notes in class is one of the best ways to get a decent grade. That's because in addition to hearing what the instructor says, you're writing it down, which helps you remember it. If you have trouble keeping up with the lecture when taking notes, you can use the voice memo recorder on your smart phone (sit at the front of the class), but be sure you take notes from the recording later or you won't get the same benefit.
You don't have to write down every word the professor speaks. After a while, you'll get a feel for what's important and what's not. It's also a good idea to arrange your notes in a kind of outline or bullet point format, like this:
Cotton is a natural plant fiber.
- Cotton takes dye well.
- It wrinkles easily.
- It's commonly blended with other fibers for clothing.
This format groups related points together, and helps you keep your notes short and to the point.
Many instructors lecture from Power Point slides that they post online. It's okay to rely on these as the basis for your notes, but read them over after class and highlight important points, jot down questions, or make additional notes.
More good ideas are provided in Secrets to College Success by Lynn Jacobs. You can find it on Amazon.