Notetaking Services

Notetaking Services at Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

Overview
Becoming a Notetaker
Other Academic Assistance

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Notetaking is an accommodation students with disabilities may request if they have the proper documentation on file.

There are many reasons why a student may request a notetaker.  This includes but is not limited to students who have a learning disability, a physical disability that hinders dexterity or motor skills, or who are hard of hearing or deaf.

Notetakers are there to record the information presented in class by the instructor.  For this reason, notetakers must be able to focus their attention on the instructor, write clearly, and be responsible in getting the notes to OSA in a timely manner.  While a student should not completely depend on a notetaker’s notes, it is still important a notetaker make notes as clear and legible as possible. For more information and tips on how to take notes, please see the Review and Further Information section at the bottom of the page.

If a notetaker is requested, OSA will send out an email within a particular class seeking a notetaker. Whether a notetaker takes notes by hand or on a laptop, notes must be provided to the Office of Student Affairs within 24 hours of the class meeting and the notes will then be given to the student. If notes are taken by hand, a copy is usually made; if by laptop, an email is sent to OSA with the notes in Word or PDF format. Notetakers are paid $10 per set of notes/class meeting through the Office of Student Affairs. A class meeting is usually defined as a lecture; notes are not always needed for lab.

The identity of the student requesting notes is to remain confidential; the notetaker will not know who the student is, and the student will not know who the notetaker is. Since the notetaker and student are in the same class, we acknowledge there are times when the identity of either party is “discovered.”  If there are any issues or concerns that arise from this, please speak to an OSA Representative immediately.

If the notetaker or student has an issue or concern with the notetaking process, they should contact an Office of Student Affairs Representative, rather than address the issue themselves.

A Notetaker may be asked to stop their notetaking duties for any of the following reasons:
- Notes are not furnished to OSA within 24 hours of the class meeting
- Notes are incomplete, illegible, messy, or otherwise deemed unreliable
- The Notetaker fails to maintain communication with OSA, or acts in an unprofessional manner, such as missing class without notifying OSA

A student requesting a notetaker must also agree to:
- Attend class as he or she would normally; receiving notes is not a substitute for missing class
- Pick up the notes in a timely manner
- Notify OSA if notetaking services are no longer required

Seeking a notetaker?
If you have documentation on file, contact Robbyn Kawaguchi at (510)594-6900 or robbyn@expression.edu to either request a notetaker or add a notetaker to your requested accommodations (on the Disability Accommodations Form). If you do not have a Disability Accommodations or supporting documentation on file, please contact Robbyn to arrange a time to submit your paperwork.

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Becoming a Notetaker

Why become a notetaker?
- You are helping a fellow classmate succeed academically
- You can learn new ways to focus on the class and learn to listen more carefully
- You may end up taking better notes than before, or if you didn’t take such good notes before, you have better ones
- It helps you keep deadlines and become more reliable (qualities sought after in any work place)
- You become an asset to OSA (which we greatly appreciate)

Qualities of a good notetaker
- Ethical
- Helpful, kind, responsible
- Good listening skills
- Good short-term memory
- Organized, neat, and good attention to detail

Notetaker requirements:
- At least a 3.00 GPA (based on current or previous education GPA)
- Dependable, responsible, mature
- Must not be on any Academic Probation status

If you fit the qualities and requirements above and are interested in becoming a notetaker, please submit a sample page of notes (in person or through email) to Vicki Leung in the South Wing Student Services Area, vleung@expression.edu. If you are approved, you will be contacted to complete a contract and receive your assignment.

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Review and Further Information

Things to remember:

  • A proper header includes: course title, instructor, lecture number, date, page number
  • Notetaking doesn’t just include information on the slides.
    • Include information the instructor writes on the board or repeats often
    • Include due dates for assignments that are not on the syllabus
    • Include any changes to the lecture or lab schedule that the instructor announces
  • Make a note of the book(s) for class or jot down the examples mentioned in class, such as movie clips, artwork, books, locations, artists, albums, etc. Mark them as “Ex.” for example or “Ref.” for reference
  • Always contact OSA if you are unable to make it to class, can’t come by to drop off notes

Overview of General Notetaking Services and Tips
Owens Community College Disability Services
Volunteer Notetaker Training (PDF)

Northeast Technical Assistance Center
Notetaker Code of Ethics (PDF)

Online Notetaker Training for the University of Colorado Boulder
You may read the modules and take the quizzes, but DO NOT sign up to be a notetaker with the University of Colorado at Boulder.
http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices/notetaking/onlinetraining.html

National Technical Institute for the Deaf Online Notetaker Training
Free online training. While you must create an account in order to complete the training, there is a nice certificate of completion for you.
http://netac.rit.edu/onlinenotetakertraining.html