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Take Better Notes

Taking good notes is an important part of academic success in college. Not everything the professor covers in class will be in the course textbook, or outlined in slides, etc. In many classes, you may be asked to do a reading or watch a video before a class discussion. Actively taking notes can help you focus and better understand main concepts. Good note-taking will improve your active listening, comprehension of material, and retention. Taking notes on both synchronous and asynchronous material will help you better remember what you hear and see.

Part of good note-taking includes revisiting your notes. During this time, check for clarity, fill in definitions of key terms, organize, and figure out any concepts you may have missed or not fully understood in class. Figure out what may be missing and what you may need to add or even ask about.

Learn More from the Library's Research Guides

Recommended Applications

The following apps have been tested and reviewed by members of Fairfield University's community for note-taking.

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Product

Cost

OS Compatibility

Features

Limitations

Glean

$129/year1

  • Windows

  • Mac OS

  • Android

  • iPadOS and iOS

Glean Device Compatibility

  • Audio Recording

    • Simultaneously note-taking 

    • Highlights notes during audio playback

    • AI Transcription

    • Transcript Annotation

  • Embed Images, Tables, and Drawings

  • Import Slides and PDFs

  • Online and Offline functionality

  • Export notes to PDF

  • Handwriting recognition is dependent on your device

  • AI Transcription accuracy varies

Otter.ai

$20/month

  • Windows

  • Mac OS

  • Android

  • iPadOS and iOS

  • Audio Recording

    • AI Transcription

    • Transcript Annotation

  • Text-Only (no handwriting recognition)

  • AI Transcription accuracy varies

  • Annotation must be done after the transcript generates

Notability

$11.99/year2

  • iPad OS

  • Audio Recording

    • Simultaneously note-taking 

    • Highlights notes during audio playback

    • AI Transcription

  • Embed Images, Tables, and Drawings

  • Handwriting Recognition

  • Math and LaTeX Recognition

  • Easily Organize and Share Notes

  • Back Up notes to Google, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more (Note: iCloud is NOT recommended for storing Notability files)

  • iPad OS is the only currently support OS

Microsoft OneNote

Free3

  • Windows

  • Mac OS

  • Android

  • iPadOS and iOS

  • Audio Recording

  • Embed Images, Tables, and Drawings

  • Handwriting Recognition

  • Insert Math and LaTeX

  • Easily Organize and Share Notes

  • Class Notebooks available for instructors and collaborative note-taking

  • No Transcription

  • Note-taking and audio recording cannot be done simultaneously

  • Math and LaTeX recognition is not currently supported

Apple Notes

Free

  • Mac OS

  • iPadOS and iOS

  • Embed Images, Tables, and Drawings

  • Handwriting Recognition

  • Organize and Share Notes

  • No Audio Recording

  • Math and LaTeX recognition is not currently supported

  • Compatible only with Apple Devices

1 Free for faculty, staff, and students registered through the Office of Accessibility with a note-taking assistant accommodation.

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3 Included in Fairfield University's Microsoft Subscription

Tip

If you are using an iPad that is compatible with the Logitech Crayon or the Apple Pencil, you can leverage Scribble to convert your handwriting to typed text in most applications.

Glean

Glean is an interactive note-taking and study tool supported by Fairfield University.

“Glean is note a replacement for a class, but a teal to augment learning and ensure students learn more effectively from the material being shared.”

Accessing Glean

Anyone can purchase an individual license to Glean, however Fairfield University does have licenses available. Faculty and staff should email academiccomputing@fairfield.edu to request a new account.

Students should contact ooa@fairfield.edu to determine their eligibility.

  1. Open Glean.

    1. In Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, navigate to app.glean.co

    2. On a mobile device, open the Glean app (download from Google Play or App Store)

  2. Follow the link to sign up for Glean and choose Sign Up with SSO.

  3. Agree to the Terms of Service.

  4. Sign in with your NetID and password.

Using Glean

To provide users with the most up-to-date instructions, we encourage you to review Glean’s Help Documentation. We recommend beginning with the Getting Started documents.

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Glean FAQs

Notability

Notability is an iOS supported note-taking application that helps users stay organized.

Accessing Notability

If you are using a Fairfield University managed iPad, you can download Notability through the Self-Service app on your iPad.

If you are using a personal device, you can download Notability through the App Store. There are different tiers of subscriptions, including a limited, free version.

Notability FAQ

Where are my notes stored?

Notes are stored locally on your iPad unless you choose to back them up. We encourage you to enable both iCloud back up and a back up to another cloud server such as Dropbox or OneDrive.