I have always chosen a pen and paper over a keyboard when taking notes. I like how it is so much easier to scribble information across a page than be limited to the functions of Word. Besides, in High School, computers weren’t allowed in class. But, now that I am in college I see MacBooks and PCs on almost every desk. I don’t understand how students find it easier to take notes on a computer. So now I am wondering whether or not one form of taking notes is better than the other? Should
I turn over to the digital side or keep my pencil in my hand?

In 2013, a teaching assistant at Princeton University conducted a study to see if laptop note taking was less effective than traditional note taking. Pam Mueller with the help of her professor, Daniel Oppenheimer, created a study consisting of three parts:

1. First, students watched a video, TED talk, or something similar. While watching the video each student either took notes on his or her computer or in a notebook. After the video, they “completed difficult mental tasks for 30 minutes,” then took a quiz.
2. The second group of students were given a warning by an administrator:

   “People who take class notes on laptops when they expect to be tested on the material later tend to transcribe what they’re hearing without thinking about it much. Please try not to do this as you take notes today. Take notes in your own words and don’t just write down word-for-word what the speaker is saying.”

   After the warning, the students proceeded exactly like the first group.

3. The third and final group waited an entire week since watching the video before taking the quiz. Some students were allowed to review their notes before they took the quiz.

In all three parts of the study, the results were the same. Students who chose a pencil and paper over a laptop scored higher on the quizzes. Despite the warning given to the students in Group Two, verbatim notes were still being typed. Why could the students not obey the warning? Mueller points out that typing is a whole lot faster than writing. Typers seem to feel invincible and copy “large parts of lecture content verbatim.” Hand writers do not have the luxury of doing this. Instead, they must pick out key words to write down for “that initial selectivity leads to long-term comprehension.”

Next time you are in class try and write down notes with your hand. See if you feel more engaged in the lecture. Then, see how well you do on the next test. Based on the findings of this study, and personal experience, I am definitely keeping my laptop closed and notebook open in class.