How I Take Notes as an Engineering Student

Summary

In this educational video, the creator shares a five-step note-taking process designed to enhance academic performance. The process begins with initial note-taking during lectures, followed by identifying knowledge gaps and filling them with resources like textbooks and online platforms. The third step involves compiling all notes into a comprehensive 'super notes' book. The final steps include practicing active recall for memorization-based courses and solving practice problems for math-intensive subjects. The video emphasizes the effectiveness of this method across various academic disciplines.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video outlines a comprehensive note-taking process that evolves from the first day of class to the final exam.
• 🖋️ It emphasizes that effective note-taking can be achieved with simple tools like a two-dollar notebook and a one-dollar pencil, not just digital devices.
• 🎓 The presenter, Tamer, a final-year mechanical engineering student, shares his personal study strategies, making the content relatable for students.
• 📈 The process is broken down into a five-step method: Initial note-taking, Knowing what you don't know, Filling in the gaps, Compiling into one notebook, and Practice and active recall.
• 🤔 Initial note-taking involves capturing everything from lectures, even if it's not fully understood, to ensure no information is missed.
• ❓ The 'Knowing what you don't know' step encourages identifying and writing down questions or points of confusion from the initial notes.
• 🔍 'Filling in the gaps' involves seeking answers to the identified questions from various resources, including textbooks and online platforms like Khan Academy and YouTube.
• 📒 The 'Compile into one notebook' step is about organizing all the gathered information into a single, comprehensive set of notes, or 'super notes'.
• 🗣️ 'Practice and active recall' is a method where students actively engage with the material by explaining concepts out loud and regularly reviewing notes to combat the forgetting curve.
• 📉 The video also explains the importance of adapting study methods based on the type of course: practice questions for math-intensive courses and active recall for memorization-heavy courses.
• 💡 Lastly, the video provides a visual illustration of active recall, highlighting its effectiveness in moving information from short-term to long-term memory.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to guide viewers through a comprehensive note-taking process that can be applied from the first day of class to the final exam, aiming to help them perform well academically.

What does the acronym 'IKFCP' stand for in the context of the video?

The acronym 'IKFCP' stands for 'Initial note taking, Knowing what you don't know, Filling in the gaps, Compiling into one notebook, and Practice and active recall', which are the five steps outlined in the video for effective note-taking and studying.

How does the video suggest handling confusion during initial note-taking?

The video suggests that during initial note-taking, if something confuses you or if you have questions, you should write them down as well. This helps in identifying areas of confusion later for further clarification.

What is the significance of using stars and question marks in the note-taking process as described in the video?

In the note-taking process, stars are used to highlight important examples and key concepts, while question marks indicate areas of confusion or questions that need to be addressed later.

How does the video recommend using resources like textbooks and online materials to enhance notes?

The video recommends using resources like textbooks and online materials to fill in gaps in understanding and to compile comprehensive notes. It suggests gathering information from these sources to create a single, organized notebook containing all necessary information for exams.

What is the role of 'active recall' in the study process as discussed in the video?

Active recall plays a crucial role in the study process by encouraging students to actively engage with the material, recall information without looking at notes, and explain concepts out loud. This method helps to solidify information in long-term memory.

How does the video differentiate the note-taking approach between math-oriented courses and courses requiring memorization?

For math-oriented courses, the video emphasizes the importance of doing practice problems to understand concepts, while for courses requiring memorization, it suggests creating detailed notes and using active recall to remember facts.

What is the 'forgetting curve' mentioned in the video, and how does it influence the study strategy?

The 'forgetting curve' refers to the rate at which information is forgotten over time if not recalled. The video suggests that by actively recalling information regularly, students can counteract this curve and move information from short-term to long-term memory.

How does the video suggest students handle practice questions for math-oriented courses?

For math-oriented courses, the video advises students to work through as many practice questions as possible from textbooks and other sources, ensuring they can solve them without looking at solutions and fully understand the concepts behind them.

What is the significance of the color-coding system used in the note-taking process as described in the video?

The color-coding system in the note-taking process helps in organizing and prioritizing information. For instance, titles might be in red, steps in blue, important remarks in black, and examples in gray, which aids in quick identification and recall of key points.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to the Note-Taking Process

The speaker introduces their comprehensive note-taking process, which evolves from the first day of class to the final exam. They emphasize that despite the popularity of digital tools like iPads, traditional methods using a simple notebook and pencil can be just as effective. The process is broken down into a five-step method: Initial note-taking, Knowing what you don't know, Filling in the gaps, Compiling into one notebook, and Practice with active recall. The acronym 'I KFCP' is humorously mentioned, and the speaker, Tamer, a final-year mechanical engineering student, invites viewers to follow along with detailed examples from their own notes.

05:03

📝 Initial Note-Taking and Identifying Knowledge Gaps

The speaker discusses the first step of note-taking, which involves capturing information from lectures, either by annotating printed slides or by writing notes in a notebook. They acknowledge that not everything will be understood immediately, so it's important to also jot down questions and confusions. Two examples are given: one for a math-intensive course like linear algebra, where the speaker structures notes with titles, subtitles, and dates, and another for a fact-heavy course like materials science, where they print and annotate PowerPoint slides. The speaker highlights the importance of noting what confuses them and the value of revisiting these notes to clarify doubts.

10:04

🔍 Filling Knowledge Gaps and Compiling Notes

The speaker moves on to the next steps of the process, which include reviewing rough notes to identify and answer questions, and then filling in knowledge gaps by consulting various resources. They share their experience of using online platforms like Khan Academy and YouTube to clarify difficult topics. The fourth step is about compiling all the gathered information into a single, organized notebook, referred to as 'super notes.' Examples are provided from linear algebra and material science, where the speaker uses color-coding and diagrams to enhance understanding and memorization. The goal is to have a comprehensive set of notes that cover everything needed for the exam.

📈 Active Recall and Practice for Exam Preparation

The final step in the note-taking process is active recall, which involves going through previously written questions and explaining concepts out loud to solidify them in memory. This method is particularly useful for courses with heavy memorization requirements. For math-related courses, the speaker emphasizes the importance of doing practice problems from textbooks and other sources to reinforce understanding. They explain how to use the forgetting curve to one's advantage by reviewing material regularly to move information from short-term to long-term memory. The speaker concludes by summarizing the strategy for different types of courses and encourages viewers to apply these methods to achieve good grades and understanding.

Keywords

💡Note-taking process

The note-taking process refers to the systematic approach one takes to record, organize, and review information from lectures or textbooks. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of this process for academic success, detailing a five-step method from initial note-taking to active recall. The process is depicted as crucial for understanding and mastering course material, as it helps students to consolidate their learning and prepare effectively for exams.

💡Lecture

A lecture is an educational presentation delivered by an instructor or professor, typically in a university or college setting. In the context of the video, lectures are one of the primary sources from which students extract information for their notes. The speaker mentions taking notes directly from lectures, either by printing out PowerPoint slides or by writing down key points and questions as they arise during the lecture.

💡Textbook

A textbook is a comprehensive book used in an educational course to present academic content in a structured manner. The video script mentions textbooks as a supplementary resource for note-taking, where students can find detailed explanations and additional examples to clarify concepts introduced in lectures. Textbooks are used to fill in gaps in understanding and to provide a more comprehensive view of the subject matter.

💡Online resources

Online resources encompass a wide array of digital materials available on the internet, such as educational websites, video tutorials, and online courses. The speaker in the video advocates for the use of online resources like Khan Academy and YouTube to enhance understanding and to clarify points that may be unclear from lectures or textbooks. These resources are particularly useful for visual learners or for those seeking alternative explanations of complex topics.

💡Initial note-taking

Initial note-taking is the first step in the note-taking process where students capture the main ideas and key points from lectures or readings. The video describes this step as crucial for capturing a raw record of what is being taught, including any questions or confusions that arise. This step is characterized by the creation of 'messy' notes that are later refined and organized.

💡Knowing what you don't know

This concept refers to the ability to recognize gaps in one's understanding or areas where further learning is required. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of identifying these gaps after initial note-taking by reviewing notes and writing down questions or areas of confusion. This self-awareness is key to targeted learning and effective study.

💡Filling in the gaps

Filling in the gaps is the process of seeking out additional information to clarify or expand upon points that were initially unclear. The video script illustrates this by describing how the speaker uses a variety of resources, including textbooks and online materials, to address questions and confusions noted during initial note-taking. This step is essential for deepening understanding and creating a more complete and coherent set of notes.

💡Compiling into one notebook

Compiling into one notebook involves organizing all the gathered information from various sources into a single, comprehensive set of notes. The video describes this step as creating a 'super notes' notebook that contains all the essential information needed for exams. This compilation helps in creating a unified reference that is easy to review and study from, enhancing the learning process.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a learning technique where students actively attempt to retrieve information from memory, rather than passively rereading notes or textbooks. The video explains that this method is particularly effective for memorization-based courses. The speaker uses active recall by answering questions out loud and explaining concepts to themselves, which helps to solidify information in long-term memory and prepare for exams.

💡Forgetting curve

The forgetting curve is a theoretical concept that illustrates the decline in memory retention over time. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of regular review and practice to counteract the forgetting curve, especially as exam dates approach. By revisiting notes and practicing questions frequently, students can move information from short-term to long-term memory, ensuring better retention and performance on exams.

Highlights

The video outlines a comprehensive note-taking process from the first day of class to the final exam.

The presenter emphasizes that effective note-taking can be achieved with simple tools like a two-dollar notebook and a one-dollar pencil.

The process involves compiling information from lectures, textbooks, and online resources into a single notebook.

An acronym 'IKFCP' is introduced to represent the five-step note-taking process.

The first step is 'Initial Note Taking', which involves capturing information directly from lectures or printed slides.

It's acknowledged that not everything will be understood during the initial note-taking, and confusion is expected.

The presenter demonstrates how to structure notes for a math-intensive course like Linear Algebra.

For courses heavy on facts and memorization, like Materials Science, the presenter shows how to annotate PowerPoint slides.

The second step, 'Knowing What You Don't Know', encourages identifying and writing down questions or confusions after the lecture.

The third step, 'Filling in the Gaps', involves seeking answers to the questions from various resources.

The fourth step, 'Compiling into One Notebook', is about creating a comprehensive set of notes, referred to as 'Super Notes'.

Color-coding is used in the notes to differentiate between titles, steps, important remarks, and examples.

The presenter explains the importance of active recall, which is the fifth step, especially for courses requiring memorization.

For math-intensive courses, the presenter recommends doing practice questions to reinforce understanding rather than memorization.

The video concludes with a summary of the five-step note-taking process and its benefits for exam preparation.

An illustration is provided to visually explain the concept of active recall and its impact on moving information from short-term to long-term memory.

Transcripts

in this video i plan on taking you

through my entire note-taking process

from when the lecture is first taught on

the first day of class

to the last day of the semester where

you'll have the final exam

but from a high level perspective i

basically take information from the

lecture

the textbook and a bunch of other online

resources like

khan academy youtube etc and i compile

it on

into one notebook that should

theoretically contain

all the information i need to do well on

the exam now i know there's a lot of

trending videos out there

that you know show that show off their

fancy ipads with their fancy apple

pencil

and with all these incredibly aesthetic

notes and don't get me wrong the ipad is

really useful and incredible

but i want to make this video show that

a simple you know two dollar notebook

and a one dollar pencil

can still help you create incredible

notes and help you get

really good grades now there's a five

step process that i file to go from

understanding nothing in a course

to while mastering it for the exam and

the five steps are like this

initial note taking uh knowing what you

don't know filling in the gaps

compiling into one notebook and uh

practice an active recall or for short i

guess a cool acronym could be

i kfcp okay it actually sounds kind of

weird

i just came up with that but regardless

these five steps are still really

effective

and throughout this video i'll be

talking about these five steps in more

detail

and give you examples from my own notes

on how to actually do them

and you also find time stamps for

everything in the description but before

i actually get into

the video if you're new here my name is

tamer and i'm a final year

mechanical engineering student at the

university of waterloo all right let's

get into the first step

the first step is initial note taking

whether you have lectures in person or

online

you want to start off by doing one of

two things either print out the

powerpoint slides that your teacher or

professor

gave you and make notes on them as your

professors explaining what's in the

slides

or if your professor doesn't make these

powerpoint slides then bring a notebook

and a pass of the class

and just start writing down why a

teacher is saying when he writes down on

the board

at this stage you can't expect to

understand everything that's being

taught and a lot of things will go over

your head

so when you're writing down notes

everything that confuses you any

question that you have

write that down as well we'll look at

those questions later but again for now

these notes are supposed to be messy all

over the place and you shouldn't leave

the lecture understanding everything

that's just not possible

and so yeah make sure to write down

questions and jot down the big ideas of

the lecture let me show you two examples

of the note taking process in this early

stage

the first example i'm going to talk

about is for a mathy type

course these types of courses involve a

lot of equations and numbers

and there's not much memorization in

these courses

specifically i'm going to talk about my

linear algebra course and i'll take you

through my note-taking process for that

in this initial stage if you're

unfamiliar with what linear algebra is

it's just a type of math

that deals with data linear equations

and vectors

now here are my notes from linear

algebra specifically we're going to be

looking at this topic i learned called

determinants

you don't necessarily need to know what

it is for this video all you got to

focus on is how i

structured my notes so first i put my

title on top

uh and then i put subtitles on the side

help keep everything structured within

this particular lecture

i also put dates on top that helps keep

everything structured from the beginning

semester to the end of the semester

i put stories next to things that i

think are really important

specifically i put stores next to

examples the reason i do that is because

a lot of these

a lot of the exam questions for these

mathy type courses

are just more complicated versions of

these class examples so make sure to put

stars next to them because they are

really important

i put question marks and things that

confuse me and i try to write down

questions

that i have at the time for things that

confuse me if i don't know specifically

what's confusing me then i just put a

question mark

but if i do like here for example why is

my answer different like i knew what was

the thing that was confusing me

so i wrote that down you'll also notice

that here my notes are pretty messy

everything's kind of all over the place

you know at this stage i'm also not

focused on you know putting color in my

notes

just because i'm trying to write down

notes as fast as possible

because engineering lectures your

professors just talk really fast and

they go over things really really

quickly you're just trying to

all the information down and you only

have much time to put color on your

notes

you'll do that later in the note taking

stage now the second example i want to

talk about

is for courses to have lots of facts and

information they need to know and

memorize for the exam

now these courses don't have lots of

math involved they may have a little bit

but definitely not to the same extent as

like physics or calculus

specifically though i want to talk about

my materials science

notes for anyone that doesn't know what

material science is

it's basically the study of materials

like metals plastic or glass

and how they can be used to design and

build all the things you see around us

all right let's bring out my material

science notes

here this professor used powerpoint

slides explain and teach

and i would personally print these

slides going into class and i would add

notes on top of it

based on what the professor says but

i'll be honest with you i would

always always leave this class more

confusing when i came in

so if you're in the same boat that's

completely normal don't worry about it

that's extremely common for engineering

or even just university in general

so anyways here this specific topic is

called corrosion degradation

i would always put stars and next to

things that professor said is really

important

i'd add questions for things that i

didn't understand at the time

and also add notes for things that the

professor is saying that aren't

necessarily in the actual slides

like you see here a cool thing i

actually learned from this lecture

that i still remember today was that the

statue of liberty wasn't actually meant

to be green

when it was first built and when it was

first designed and built it was meant to

be

it's made out of copper and it's meant

to have this brownish color

but over the time that copper reacted

with the air around it

and it changed its color from that

brownish color to the green color that

we see today so

pretty cool stuff anyways now that we

have all these rough notes we'll take it

one step further

after the lecture by going through these

notes and writing down questions or

asking questions about

specific things that confuse us that we

didn't get a chance to write down during

the actual lecture

also for the math type courses it's a

good time to also try

some of the practice questions that

involve numbers and equations the reason

this step is so important is because it

allows you to know what you don't know

so when you start studying you know

where to begin because your immediate

goal should be to answer these questions

for example let's look at my linear

algebra notes

some of the questions that i have here

is like what's the cofactor

which line should cancel out what would

happen if all these numbers are zero you

know these are questions that i used to

be able to know where i should start

when it comes to studying

also look at my material science notes

here in this lecture

uh some of the questions i ask myself is

you know what's corrosion and

degradation how are they different

you know this diagram right here what

what exactly does this mean

these equations what do they mean and

what does it represent so again this

step is all about coming up with

questions

and realizing and understanding what i

don't know now that we have

all these questions it's time to start

looking for answers

and fill in the gap so i look at all my

resources like the lecture content or my

lecture notes

the textbook other online resources like

khan academy or youtube videos

and i collect bits and pieces of

information from all these

resources for example there was a

particular topic that

confused me i think the topic was called

like body plots

the name actually sounds kind of weird

uh but anyways i couldn't understand

anything that professor was saying and

the textbook was really

bad at explaining it and i found this

youtube channel that explained it so

freaking well

i was able to do really well on the exam

just because of them so shout out to

them

anyways now that we have all these

pieces of information it still kind of

feels kind of messy and all over the

place in my head so i take

all these resources and i put them into

one notebook which brings me to step

four

compile into one notebook ideally

everything you need to know for your

exam

should be in this notebook i kind of

like to call it super notes

honestly that sounded a lot cooler in my

head it's kind of lame when i say it out

loud

but anyways let's look at my linear

algebra notes

uh here you'll see that these notes is

where i kind of start color coding

i have my titles in red in blue i have

like steps i need to follow be able to

solve a particular question

i also have important remarks in black

my examples that i use

uh to sort of learn from to be able to

do actual practice questions

i put in gray and you'll see that in

these notes there was a lot of things

that confused me at the time

when i was first learning them in the

lecture but i make sure to answer all

these questions

in my notes some of the answers i got

from youtube

other answers i got from a textbook for

example when i was reading the textbook

i liked how they structure

things and how they organized them in

terms of the titles they use so i copy

that into my own notes

and again the main purpose here sort of

when i have clear and organized notes

it helps me understand things better and

my mind just clear when it comes to

understanding the concepts

of that particular course all right now

let's also have a look at my material

science

notes at this stage you'll see that i

color coded a lot of these notes

uh the reason i do that is because it

helps me sort of remember things

especially for the courses that you know

require you to spit out facts on the

exam

it's particularly here i want like this

topic of annealing was something that

really confused me during the lectures

and if anyone familiar with that that is

it's basically a process where you take

metals

and you make them more flexible and less

harsh you can bend them into whatever

shape you want

but anyways that topic really confused

me in class and so i found these steps

in the textbook that explained it really

really well

so i included them here i also found

these diagrams

from the internet that helped me

visualize what was happening and so i

printed them out and i put them in my

notebook

and the reason i printed them out was

because i can't really draw too well

so it was just easier for me to print

them out then i actually have to draw it

by hand

and so yeah basically i combine

information from the textbook

information i found online into this one

notebook so on the exam i can explain it

really really well and

be able to draw these diagrams with no

problem at the end of the day

the goal of making these notes is to

basically take

all the information from a bunch of

sources and put them all into one place

because when you do that and you have

organized notes your mind is organized

and you feel like you have control

over everything that's being taught in

the course now that you have

all this incredible information that

should have cleared up any confusion and

answered all your questions

and should technically have everything

you need to know for the exam in this

one notebook

it's time to start applying it and i do

that by implementing a method called

active recall

for courses that have lots of

memorization and facts i need to

remember

i do that in two steps first i go

through all the questions i wrote down

earlier

for example a question i wrote was like

what are the different phases of steel

i'll answer that question out loud to

myself interestingly though some of the

questions i actually wrote

in my lecture ended up being on the exam

so really really useful strategy

another thing i do is i'll take my super

notes and i will

go through every concept and i'll

explain them to myself

out loud in my room as i'm walking

around my room

and this really helps you know solidify

all this information

in my head so i remember it for the exam

i start off by doing this process

of answering questions that i wrote

earlier and going through these notes

and explaining these concepts to myself

out loud

usually every few days but then as the

exam day gets closer i do this process

basically every single day and the

reason i do that is because of this

concept called the forgetting

curve when you try to remember something

it will stay in your head at first

but as time goes on you'll begin to

forget it according to the forgetting

curve which is backed by science

after just one day of studying something

or trying to remember something you

forget fifty percent of it just after

one day

and after three days you only remember

twenty percent of it and so for that

reason it's really important to be

reviewing these questions and going

through these notes

and explaining them to yourself out loud

every single day so it stays in your

head because when you do that the

forgetting curve

changes and here's what it looks like

you'll see that it takes more time to

forget

what it is you want to remember and

eventually it'll get stuck in your

long-term memory however for courses

that are like mathy like physics

calculus linear algebra you shouldn't be

memorizing stuff

instead you should be doing practice

questions and as many practices

questions as you can

your professors should probably have

assigned to you some practice questions

that you could do

but if they didn't you can also grab

your textbook and do practice questions

from there

for example for linear algebra i would

grab the textbook and i'd go at the back

of every chapter

and do the practice questions from there

for example here this is the back of

chapter 4.2

i do all these questions that you see

here uh just so i can understand what's

going on in the course it's just meant

to reinforce the stuff they already

wrote in my notebook

and the reason this tab is so important

is because in the exam

a lot of the questions on the exam are

going to come from this and are going to

be very similar to what you see here

so it's much much more beneficial for

you for these mathy courses

to do these practice questions than to

just memorize information i usually

answer

these practice problem questions in a

different notebook just so i can refer

back to it when i need it

and for every question i make sure that

i can solve it and i fully understand it

without looking at the solution so i'll

look at a question and if i can answer

without looking at the solution and i

fully understand it for the first time

when i do it then i'll just move on and

do other questions but

if i don't understand it and it really

confuses me not to look at the solution

to figure it out

i put a star next to it and when doing

so i know that i should come back to it

either in a few days or in a week and

try to do it again and

if i can then do that look at the

solution then i'll move on to other

questions

and i know that that question i fully

understand but yeah that's it this is

the five steps that i go through when it

comes to

making notes it helps me do well in

school helps me get good grades and

understand

everything i need to understand for the

exam again to summarize the best way to

study is to understand the type of

course you're taking

for mathy type courses like physics or

calculus

it's you know best to do as much

practice questions as possible

and understand the concept behind every

question but for memorization type

courses for courses like history or

biology

it's better to make so many notes and

read them out loud and implement

active recall to be able to remember all

the stuff that you're trying to remember

for the exam

and here's a really cool illustration

that i found on pictures that explains

active recall really really well

first new information enters your brain

it gets stored in the working memory for

only a few seconds

from the working memory and moves to the

short-term memory if this information

isn't recalled

it will be lost forever but from the

short-term memory

if it's recalled enough times which

could be depending on the person could

be even up to 100 times

it will move to the long-term memory and

you'll be able to remember for a long

time

and do all your exams that's it for this

video i hope my five-step

note-taking process brought you value if

you did please make sure to like and

subscribe and i'll see you next video

[Music]

peace