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Considering the final exams are mere weeks away, this bit of advice is rather outdated, but the most important advice I can give would be to consider whether you really want to do the course in the first place.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
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