Blackboard has inspired me to return to a classroom technique I had experimented with for years but eventually abandoned as too cumbersome: having students be responsible for keeping official class notes.
My general goals were to facilitate increased student involvement in their learning and responsibility both for individual student success in the course and for overall success of the class. The ideas of mutual help and shared responsibility for success were primary. My specific goals were to help students learn to take notes carefully, to distinguish what is essential from what is less important, to be able to give and receive constructive criticism, to be attentive to meeting deadlines, and to make written work attractive (good design, proofreading, etc.).
Before Blackboard, this was done with carbon paper, then with carbonless paper. But too much class time was spent listening to the "minutes" being read aloud and then making suggestions. Moreover, the only copies of previous class notes were the ones I kept in the class folder. Students had to be in school to consult those notes or had to ask for photocopies. Finally I abandoned the class notes project until Blackboard made me want to experiment with it again. So far I've used Blackboard successfully with just one class. The experience was so rich that I intend to try it again.
During the first weeks students were learning how to keep, format, and post class notes. When the class met in a computer lab with Internet access and where we had an overhead projector, I occasionally used the posted notes to illustrate good examples to follow and some wording, grammar, or other problems to avoid. Before doing so, I always privately requested the student's permission to use the posted notes and made certain that nothing that we looked at would create discomfort or embarrassment or a student.
While at first some students objected to the entire undertaking, virtually everyone ultimately ame to appreciate the value of the posted class notes. Each student at some point needed to miss classes (surgery, family crises, work crises), and the posted notes enabled her or him to keep up with the work. Students also used the notes to review important information even when they had been in class.
After a few weeks, almost no suggestions were needed to help note-takers revise (other than reminding them to proofread). The students thus had learned to take accurate notes, to give and accept constructive criticism, to respect specific deadlines, and to be well able to keep and distribute meeting minutes in their professional careers should the need arise. This was a small Honors class, which was probably a factor in the quality of the comments.
Those students who do not have readily available Internet access are at a slight disadvantage because they have to plan where and when they can check the notes and other information on Blackboard. This is why the class and I together agreed on deadlines for posting and responding so that we could make those deadlines ones that all students would be able to meet. When special needs arose, on a case-by-case basis we agreed to modify the deadlines. For instance, if a note-taker went straight from school to work where there was no Internet access, we permitted extra time before posting.
Among the many advantages that Blackboard offers are that it makes the information always available for anyone to review at any time. Moreover, the information is more rapidly available to everyone because as soon as it is posted anyone with Internet access can see it. There are many benefits - to the individual student, to the class, to the instructor.
Some instructors may choose to post their own lecture notes, but this is not as beneficial to the students. Having students keep and post official class notes will require extra time to help students learn whatever note-taking and posting process is appropriate for a course. Extra effort will also be needed to help students overcome any fears and reluctance they may have about something new and unfamiliar. The results will merit the efforts.
Activity Overview
The assignment for introducing class notes was as follows:
Take careful notes in class today (imagine that your friend, who is in the class, cannot attend today).
By midnight (of the next day; the time-frame can be agreed upon in class), post your notes in today's Class Notes forum on the Discussion Board. By midnight on Saturday, make constructive comments on the notes of the person whose posting appears after yours. The person whose posting appears last should make constructive comments on the first-posted notes.
Each student's version of what is important to record will differ slightly or considerably from all other students' versions, which is in itself fascinating. The Discussion Board permits everyone to experience the different versions. I then compile and post in Course Documents a final version to serve as a model for the future when individual students, a different one each day, are responsible for writing class notes.
In each subsequent class, an individual student (selected alphabetically or by some other system) takes notes, posts them, receives suggestions, and produces a final version that earns a grade. In a small class, a student may do this several times; in a large class each student may have just one turn; in a huge class, two or more students may simultaneously post notes to make sure that everyone has a turn.
During the first few classes, we discuss how much detail to include, what should not be included, and the importance of being specific in responding so that criticism is constructive. Thus everyone can help create an accurate record of class activities and can also help each student earn the best possible grade on the final version of class notes when her or his turn comes.
Materials and Resources
An article about my earlier experiments appeared in two publications (unfortunately not yet available through any of the electronic databases). See "Classroom Minutes: A Valuable Teaching Device," Improving College & University Teaching, 31 [Spring 1983], 70-73. Reprinted in Innovation Abstracts, Vol. VI No. 5 published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, 1984.
The best testimony to the value of this exercise is in the students' spontaneous comments. Below with my brief introductions are samples of student responses to notes taken by other students and to the entire project.
The first student to keep class notes did an excellent job, so excellent and thorough that some students thought the notes were too long. Students responded:
(1) Your notes were very detailed and organized, however I think that for being a really long note, at the end I forgot what were the main points of the day. I think that the assignment should be more enphasized.
(2) I wanted to commend _____ on her ability to take thorough notes in a very organized fashion. The only thing that is somewhat discouraging is that the notes were rather long to read and as everyone knows there is alot of work that has to be read and then commented on. ______, my only criticism would be to take notes that are more concise
The second student to keep class notes did not do a good job, which made me concerned about what would happen, but I need not have worried. Here are some of the classmates' comments and the student's responses:
Wow. That gave me a very strong feeling of deja-vu. meaning you did a really excellent job at accurately taking down what happened during the class. I have a few things to say that might help you in your revision of them. Here are a few lines that I was particularly drawn to in terms of revision: "We need to be informed of the good reasons why we should do each play. Professor Boris told a story about a class that she had, in which all her students but one chose the same story. They chose A Doll's House because they did it in high school and thought it would be easy."
I understand completely what you are trying to say, but the grammar is a bit off. I make the same mistake quite often. ".all of her students but one chose the same story. THEY chose a Doll's House." You are referring to the one student who chose "A Doll's House", however you are using "they" rather than a singular form which is appropriate in this case. I remember Professor Boris stating that if something like this happens in writing, the reader can sometimes mistake "they" for the closest plural that appropriately fits. After saying "they" you actually revert back to the "one" who chose the play, so it makes it a bit confusing.
We were told, never to be afraid of asking or giving a negative answer, as there are no right or wrong answers. Negative learning can be good learning because it teaches you what not to do, this is assuming that you learned from your negative experience.
"Negative answer" at the beginning, can be changed to wrong answer, because you refer to "right or wrong answers" later on in the same sentence. "Negative learning can be good learning" sounds a little weird, in my opinion. I know that by "negative learning" you mean something to the extent of learning the right answer through the discovery of the wrong answer, but I would change that to something like "Learning the right answer is not always necessary in the learning process. Understanding the wrong way can help eliminate paths in ones goal to establishing the understanding of a topic."
One more thing - I don't think you need to put numbers in parenthesis after stating them in your notes two (2) times.
I now would like to apologize for my criticizing, I'm being a bit harsh - I get out of class on Fridays at 11:30, and I have to be at work at 3:00, which is only six blocks away from the school. I have nothing better to do so I thought I'd sit here and annoy you with some of the details. Spending three and a half hours waiting at LaGuardia will take a toll on one's sanity. Wow this is boring.
The student who had taken the notes answered as follows:
You were not harsh but it was interesting and I do not mind you bugging me. I am not sure whom you are but if you ever get bored again you can always comment on my work or just email me ok. And thank you very much you make interesting suggestions.
Another student responded as follows:
I would like to start off by saying that you also have good note taking abilities but you spend to much time on meaningless details that are not at all relevant to the class. Talking about ______'s grandmother death shouldnt be. Also commenting about proffesor Boris story about the Doll House is not neccesary.
Also i have say you have several minor sentence structure mistakes. "The one who chose a different play actually did such a good job on the description that shamed everyone else for choosing the other play for the wrong reasons". There are minor grammer erros here and im sure it was not intentional. I know writing on the keyboard is sometimes anoying. Remember simplify your thoughts and then act. It always works for me!
But i do comend you on listing the core information wich is very detailed and precise.
Well at least look on the bright side now it will be a loooooooooong time before you have to write the notes up again :.)
The student who had taken the notes wrote back:
You reply was interesting thank you very much for your suggestions. I am not sure whom you are but you will get your turn to write the notes so I wish you good luck.
There were many more specific criticisms, and the student's revised version was much improved; the next time this student kept notes the initial version was good. The subsequent student's notes were closer in quality to the first student's and were commended as follows:
1) I tip my hat off to you. The format you have chosen to write these notes is clear cut, extremely easy to read, and simple. All key information is displayed and you have hit all the right points and spent the appropriate amount of time discussing them. Your notes structure is very good since it allows for all of your major points to be emphasized first, then easily breaks down into the lesser points. I have absolutely no complaints or comments about any part of these notes. Excellent job man.
2) I am very impressed by the layout of the notes - all the points are arranged in a cohesive manner, allowing for a clear understanding of what went on in the class. I hope everyone follows your example, as I sure will. When you revise it, just make sure you read it over so you can spot any grammatical errors you might have made. Since these notes were written primarily in the past tense, you should leave it that way.
Eventually even the most resistant students came to appreciate the value of the exercise:
1) Once again, because I missed class this Monday, it was extremely helpful for me to read over the class notes. I feel that you did an excellent job because as I was reading your notes I felt as if you were speaking directly to me.
2) Thanks for the information. I missed the class on Monday and found your notes to be very detailed, informative and well organized.
3) When I first heard about Blackboard [i.e., class notes] I was not too keen on the idea of going online to give up more time to my busy schedule. As Blackboard was used more and more for class information I liked the idea that if any questions came up or there were ideas that someone had and wanted to see anyone had any thought on the matter we could simply post it on Discussion Board, and others could reply on it. It helped those who were absent know what was going on in the class while they could not be there. I was only absent twice, and both times I quickly viewed the "minutes" that were posted so that I had some idea of what to expect for the time we met. And the times that I was in class the notes helped me understand an idea that was discussed in class but for which I could not remember all the little details.
The final student comment above is from someone coping with attention deficit disorder, which makesremembering details a constant challenge. Since everyone "tunes out" from time to time, posted class notes are useful not only for absent students but also for those who were present. By having students rather than the instructor keep and post notes, an instructor can foster increased learning of many important classroom and professional skills.