The provision of partial notes is not associated with improved student attention in lectures or subsequent understanding of the lecture material

Abstract

To optimize learning in lectures, students need to maintain a sustained level of attention to the lecture material. Previous research has suggested, however, that student attention declines over the course of the lecture. One strategy suggested to improve sustained attention of students during the lecture is to encourage note-taking by students. The provision of partial notes, where parts of the lecture slide materials are removed, has been associated with improved academic outcomes of students. Few studies, however, have directly compared the effects of partial notes on student attention with the provision of complete notes or no notes at all. This study investigated the effects of the provision of these three types of lecture notes on note quality through the lecture, a proxy measure of sustained attention, and on subsequent short-term factual retention of the lecture material. In total, 41 students were randomly assigned to one of the three notes groups. They listened to a lecture while taking notes and then completed a multiple-choice quiz. Their notes were evaluated for note quality. No advantage of using partial notes was found on the measures of sustained attention or on the results of the multiple-choice quiz, contrary to previous findings. Student sustained attention did degrade over the course of the lecture; this degradation occurred for all note type groups. This study suggests that educators within the higher education system reconsider the use of partial notes in lectures.