Lecture Techniques

In my opinion I feel that lectures should not be completely compulsory, because I think that individuals should have the freedom to choose whether or not they want to attend lectures. Going to lectures is really important in an individual receiving a good grade however, it will be the individuals choice if they do not want to attend and possibly fall behind. Similarly, even if someone does not attend a lecture, listen again and friends are still there to help out. Some individuals may feel more comfortable staying in their room and listening again to the lecture because they may concentrate more than being in the lecture.
   In my opinion, using friends notes can be 50/50, because sometimes that friend may not have taken enough notes or even the important notes, but on the other hand, it can be really reliable if that individual using the friends notes to get some information in order to catch up to the lecture. Similarly, power point slides can also be helpful for those who miss lectures, meaning that that individual would not necessarily miss out unless the lecturer says something important.
  Note-taking is a vital point when going to lectures because it gives individuals extra information and also some information to take home with them to go over them to gain more knowledge about the topic. There are various types of note-taking styles such as linear, bullet points, pro's and cons and mind-maps. In my opinion an individual should use the one that they are most comfortable with, however, I would advise everyone to at least try out other styles of note-taking because this may give them a more broader variety when taking down notes.
   The lectures which I have attended have been quite in depth and helpful because they have taught me the little things which I may have overlooked, such as punctuations, the use of  'I' and 'me' and paragraphs.
   Rewriting notes or summarising notes is quite important in my point of view, because this allows individuals to fully grasp the concept of the lesson. For example, some people may copy word for word and not understand a single thing, so summarising notes is important from my perspective.
   Lastly, reading over your notes cannot just be used to revise for a exam, in my opinion I think that some research should be put into place as well in order for their to be some background knowledge which can be in-putted.

Lecture Techniques

Lectures...are a complicated thing. I personally don't think they should be compulsory under most circumstances. That said, I can't write them off either. The  benefit of attending lectures is that the presence of the lecturer allows the student to ask questions and for elaboration. Such information is available in books and online, of course, but a good lecturer will be better able to condense the information to manageable chunks for the student. Time spent at the library, research online and even just asking friends are effective supplements to a lecture. Particularly skilled students could even reverse things and use the lecture as a supplement to their independent study instead. Needless to say this is easier said than done and perhaps at the foundation and year I levels, the lectures should come first.

Note taking is one area where no two people will ever really be alike. Personally, I think notes should be short and sweet but still have the relevant points. I can't predict what future lectures will be like, but at least at my current level the lecturers provide ample material of their own. Keeping this in mind, notes taken during the lecture should be short and concise. More detailed note taking should be done in one's own time and should attempt to combine the student and lecturer's notes. Additionally, bibliographies and sources should also be kept in mind. While perhaps not the most vital thing to keep in mind, especially in a computer science course, they give an air of professionality that will be required at the higher levels and in the 'real world'.

Considering the final exams are mere weeks away, this bit of advice is rather outdated, but the most important advice I can give would be to consider whether you really want to do the course in the first place. I made the mistake of accepting a course that I knew I had neither interest or aptitude in. Combined with a poor work ethic, my year at University has been...difficult. When the idea of dropping out enters a student's head, lecture techniques would be the last thing he or she needs, to put it mildly...

~ Noel T. Muivah

Lecture Technique - Bradley Young

The idea that lecture’s are compulsory to attend at post-college/sixth form age is ridiculous, lectures should be something that someone would feel obliged to attend rather then have to be told to attend. Attendance should also be dependent on your skill in that topic also. Such as if a student is getting a very high, 90% average in a class, the lectures should not be compulsory as they obviously must know what they are doing. But students with less than a 60% average must be made to attend lectures, as it is vital they attend to get a good grade overall.

Lectures are also not 100% vital to attend as technology has made our lives easier, such as the use of email, to email lecture notes and universities having listen again online help. Also, the idea that lectures stand in front of a class for an hour and present there presentation, of which only about half an hour of it is effective before students start to get distracted, about a topic is only one persons understanding of the topic, it may be more beneficial for some individuals to look at the presentation in there own time, and also look over other sources such as books and the internet to get a greater understanding and other views of the subject while also reading through the presentation.

When lectures are attended, notes should be taken in a linear form with the title at the beginning with bibliographical details as well, so that if needed you can reference the lecture in the future, and subtitles throughout the notes to help you understand when you are reading it back to yourself, as it will help explain what each section corresponds too. Notes should then be re-written and revised when you get home; this allows the information to transfer from short-term memory to long-term memory.

The subject of this our third (and last) blog is Lecture Technique. What we would like you to think and write about is how one can best approach lectures. Is it vital to attend or do you think you can use friend's notes, get Powerpoint slides or use Listen Again? Also, how best to take notes? Do other styles rather than linear note taking work for you? What are your observations of the lectures you have attended so far? Should one summarise or re-write notes or is this a waste of time? Does just revising your notes through reading them again suffice?  

As always please refrain from insulting or offensive language. I will have to remove it and it may constitute an academic offence.