Abstract:

Taking notes is a well-known problem in school education and higher education. Technology Enhanced Teaching (TET) impacts new opportunities for better notes however common problems remain.

This paper deals with the problem of taking notes in TET based learning settings (Mazohl, 2016) and the successful use of these notes by students for their learning and reflexions. In these settings, students permanently and consequently are using multiple devices (laptops, notebooks, tablets) for their learning. On the other hand, students from traditional brick and mortar environment were observed and included into the study.

The study compares 50 students in a paper work setting with approx. 100 students learning in the TET environment taking gender related differences into account. The taught subject was physics (School Education - upper high school level - or in Higher Education – standard level), the study focuses on teaching in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

The first surprising result shows relevant differences comparing male and female student behaviour. Female students take more notes and keep their notes on a higher level. Nevertheless, male students stated with a higher percentage than female students that they did easy in their reflections. An interesting result is the fact, that a larger group of female students used additional resources for their learning (for example textbooks) than in the group of male students.

The comparison of the students in different settings shows no significant differences, but proves that students often do not know what to write down and how to take efficient personal notes. For the TET group taking notes was made easier; these students appreciate their modern and technical teaching and learning environment.

References:
[1] Mazohl, Peter (2016): Technology Enhanced Teaching. Framework for onsite teaching with multiple devices. 1st edition. Wiener Neustadt: Mazohl Publish.

Keywords:

Innovation, technology enhanced teaching, multiple devices, TET, TEL, taking notes.