January 2025 | Issue 6 | Volume 2 | Previous Issues
Updates from the CTLI
Hello! We genuinely hope that you had a restful mid-year break with the opportunity to spend time with loved ones doing activities that filled your cup. With the spring semester fast approaching, we wanted to provide you with timely information and updates.
Summer 2025 Paid Opportunities
This summer is our final offering of grant-funded stipends for courses taught in the Face-to-Face Plus (F2F+) modality. Even if you have participated in the past, you are eligible to participate again if you are focusing on a different F2F+ course than you’ve focused on previously. Please read below and apply for priority consideration by March 1, 2025.
Program Assessment
As part of VTSU’s commitment to continuous improvement, all programs including the Gen Ed are engaging in Program Assessment, utilizing the VTSU system launched in August 2024. The CTLI’s role is to provide professional development and support, related to assessing student learning against program outcomes and those small pedagogical changes made in response to the assessment findings. The Program Assessment Sharepoint Site is your starting place for all things program assessment. All programs not externally accredited have deliverables due June 1, reporting on your assessment activities and/or submitting your Year 5 Program Review (PReCIP) Report. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Jen Garrett-Ostermiller, Director
Jeff Tunney, Associate Director
Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation @ VTSU
Get to know us!
Paid Faculty Professional Development Opportunities
These Summer 2025 opportunities provide a generous grant-funded stipend ($1750) for faculty who participate in and complete the course or curriculum development work. They are meant to support you with work you are already doing, as they are aligned with VTSU priorities, and acknowledge the time and effort you will spend by providing compensation. If you have questions about any of them, please reach out to the CTLI at ctli@vermontstate.edu.
Click on each header to expand for details.
F2F+ Option 1: Course Development
Through the Davis Educational Foundation grant titled “Prioritizing Access Through ‘Face-to-Face Plus’ Expansion + OER Adoption,” faculty stipends are available for one more round to develop courses in the F2F+ modality.
Limited Funding Availability – Apply for priority consideration by March 1, 2025 |
Attend a full-day kick-off retreat on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Compensation: $300 |
Complete a 4-week ‘Intro to F2F+ Teaching’ course in June 2025. •4-6 hours per week of attendance and homework (synchronous, offered in the F2F+ modality) •Complete a F2F+ course redevelopment map •Complete at least 2 F2F+ class lesson plans (practice 1) •Work with a Mentor to plan, revise, and develop F2F+ teaching •Practice with classroom technology Compensation: $1750 |
Please apply for priority consideration by 12noon on March 1 to develop a course in the F2F+ modality. Selected individuals will take a 4-week synchronous course in June 2025, during which they’ll map out the outcomes, assessments, and learning activities for a F2F+ course then design lesson plans for teaching in the F2F+ modality. Additional support will be provided for effective integration of technology. Faculty who have participated in this program in the past are eligible to apply, as long as you are converting a new class that you haven’t previously converted.
The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.
F2F+ Option 2: Reducing Textbook Costs Through OER and Faux-ER Conversion
Through the Davis Educational Foundation grant titled “Prioritizing Access Through ‘Face-to-Face Plus’ Expansion + OER Adoption,” faculty stipends are available for one more round to make F2F+ courses more affordable by reducing or removing textbook costs.
Limited Funding Availability – Apply for priority consideration by March 1, 2025 |
Attend an kick-off retreat in early June (date TBD based on participant schedules). Compensation: $300 |
Work with CTLI staff and Librarians to convert a F2F+ class to no- or low-cost course materials and textbooks in June, 2025. •Research Open Educational Resources (OER) relevant to course and discipline •Determine if OER materials will be adopted, adapted, created, or a combination •Select and create OER materials, ensuring costs for students will remain under $50 •Create resources and activities to accompany OER materials •Have students complete a survey about their OER experience •Share what you’ve learned through presentations, case study write-up, lessons learned tips, etc. Compensation: $1750 |
Please apply for priority consideration by 12noon on March 1 to convert an existing F2F+ course to no- or low-cost textbook/materials for students. With support of librarians and CTLI staff, you will explore existing Open Educational Resource (OER) and Faux-ER (e.g., through library subscriptions, etc.) materials to adapt or adopt; if no relevant materials exist, you will have the opportunity to create your own (or some combination of adoption, adaptation, and creation). Faculty who have adopted OER in the past have appreciated the ability to customize content to suit their outcomes, students, and interests. Students appreciate the emphasis on affordability and accessibility.
The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’s retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.
Campus Partner Update: Student Success

Three Opportunities for Faculty and Student Success Collaboration
- On January 8th, Student Success and Admissions held a half-day workshop called Paying for College to raise awareness and provide an overview of how to guide students to pay for college. In the first session, there is a brief introduction followed by an overview of how the Admissions team supports prospective students to be ready to pay for college. It is both a broad overview and an in-depth look at decision points students frequently face and examples. To watch the session, in whole or in part, visit this link: Paying For College Workshop – Hybrid-20250108_100214-Meeting Recording.mp4 The video is 90 minutes in length and you are invited fast forward based on the slides to view the content of interest.
- Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) is set to expand in Fall 2025 with a focus on Nursing, gateway, and high DFW courses. If a section you will teach in Fall 2025 would benefit from PAL or you want to know more about PAL, please contact jennifer.jones@vermontstate.edu.
- The ROAD to Success grant has stipend funding available for faculty to convert in-person courses to fully online courses with the support of an instructional designer. For more information, contact ROAD Director, beth.walsh@vermontstate.edu.
Campus Partner Update: VSCS Libraries

Welcome back to the Spring 2025 semester!
Check out the VSCS Library website for up-to-date news, services, and resources. If you have specific reference or resources questions, be sure to reach out to your liaison librarian. For questions or feedback, please reach out to us at libraries@vsc.edu. Below are some updates to prepare you for the upcoming semester.
In-Person Tours at the Campus Libraries and Virtual Library Orientations
The VSCS Library is offering both in-person physical library tours as well as Virtual Library Orientations this semester again!
Come take a tour of one of our VSCS physical libraries. In addition to the library virtual resources and services, we have five campus locations offering study spaces and in-person services. Tours are open to all individual faculty, staff, and students—no reservations needed! See here for scheduled tour times: Library Tours
If you’re looking to introduce your class to the library resources and services, our synchronous virtual orientations offer an in-depth overview of the libraries and the services we offer. Can’t attend a scheduled orientation? You can access a recorded orientation anytime on our website. These sessions are open to all faculty, staff, and students! To see the upcoming sessions and learn more see the Library Orientation page on our website.
January Virtual Resource Display
Each month, the library features a virtual display that includes a variety of library resources, including print books, eBooks, and streaming media. January’s virtual display theme is Resolutions & Self-Improvement. You can check out our current display as well as previous displays here: January 2025 – Resolutions & Self-Improvement
DEISJ Topic Guide
We are proud to announce our new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice (DEISJ) Topic Guide! The guide offers resources and insights on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. As we expand our collection to highlight diverse identities and teaching resources, we welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Thank an Educator Program Results

The VTSU Thank an Educator program provides a way for undergraduate and graduate students as well as alums to send a note of thanks to educators who have had a meaningful impact on their education and lives.
We were thrilled to receive over 150 submissions from students and alums, sent to staff and faculty educators on all five of our campuses. We hope to see this number grow with each subsequent semester and look forward to sharing last semester’s thank you messages with faculty and staff members in the coming days.
The comments students submitted underscore the impact of the day-to-day work that ALL educators engage in at VTSU.
These are just a few excerpts from submissions that highlight the ways that excellent teaching, compassionate mentoring, nonjudgmental staff, and professional competence make a difference in our students’ lives.
“Returning to school after decades was a daunting task. I’m grateful for the support you’ve provided on this journey. Thanks to your guidance, I flourished here at VTSU! My experience as a non-traditional student has been wonderful, and much of that stems from knowing I could always count on your help, be it a quick email response, or one of our many phone meetings. I appreciate your hard work and dedication. It’s been a pleasure!”
“Thank you for being positive, kind, and genuinely heartwarming! I’m grateful for your knowledge and time shared with you in class. Thank you for all the support you have given me along the way!”
“Thank you for making me feel comfortable in your classroom from Day 1. I appreciate your availability, your patience, and your empathy. You’ve been where we are, and it’s obvious you sincerely care about giving us the best experience and training possible.”
“You inspire me to dig deep and produce my best work, which is hard for me – and you always let me know when it isn’t my best. You see something in me that I don’t see in myself which helps me grow and be a better person.”
“You’re one of the most inspirational teachers/professors I’ve ever had. You make learning fun and enjoyable. You care so deeply about your students, and that means so much more than you’ll ever know. Thank YOU for making my college experience exciting.”
We will relaunch the ‘Thank an Educator’ program in April 2025. We’d appreciate your help spreading the word – after all, the number of submissions we can accommodate is unlimited and we love having the honor of sharing these positive affirmations!
From the CTLI, we thank YOU for the daily efforts you make to support all your students.
Spring 2025 – Syllabus Template Available

Each semester, the CTLI publishes an updated syllabus template, to stay current with policies, context, and the dates of the semester. No matter what modality you’re teaching in, the syllabus can be edited to meet your needs.
While the template appears to be lengthy, it will become much shorter when you tailor it to your course (deleting the highlighted language, which is instructional for you). Some faculty may also find they wish to move content from the syllabus to Canvas, which can also create a more succinct syllabus for your students.
As with previous versions, the The Spring 2025 Syllabus Template can be previewed and downloaded from the CTLI website.
Below, please find a list of several changes that were made to the previous iteration of the template:
- A link to an online course workload calculator has been added as a tip in the ‘Credit Hours and Student Work’ section of the template.
- Minor changes were made to the grade distribution example.
- One of Library Services’ modes of contact was updated in the ‘Library’ section of the template. They will now be using Microsoft Teams instead of Zoom.
- The schedule of activities was updated with relevant 2025 dates.
The goals of the syllabus template are twofold:
- To make your life easier – you don’t have to look up the dates of the semester or make sure your syllabus reflects current policy.
- To create consistency for students – consistent organization of syllabi, Canvas course spaces, assignment sheets, and other teaching materials reduces cognitive burden (extraneous cognitive load) for students, allowing them more capacity to focus on the important cognitive task of learning.
Given this second goal of consistency, we also encourage you to adopt the CTLI Canvas Template. This template allows you full freedom to customize the content of the course and focuses exclusively on the organization and structure of the course. The more classes that adopt the template, the easier it is for students to find what they need quickly, reducing frustration and emphasizing class engagement.
Summary of Literature: Note Taking Skills
We often expect students to take notes during class. In fact, this expectation is well-founded. Many studies indicate that students who take notes in a variety of contexts (in-class, watching videos, reading) perform better academically. However, and importantly, many students have never been taught how to take effective notes and over half report that they find this skill to be difficult (Rachal et al., 2007). In one study, the authors found that students included only 46% of relevant and important ideas in their notes from a lecture, although they do take fairly complete notes of the ideas they include (Northern et al., 2023). Salame & Thompson (2020) surveyed STEM students about note taking practices and attitudes and found that students more confident in their strategic note taking skills have higher GPAs, indicating that students understand the value of this skill, but have adopted these skills unevenly.
In their meta-analysis Note-Taking Interventions for College Students: A Synthesis and Meta-Analysis of the Literature, Reed, Rimel, & Hallett (2016) examined whether and how instructing students to take notes has an impact on learning. They conclude that indeed note taking of any form is generally positive for students’ demonstration of learning outcomes. Unsurprisingly, Lalchandani and Healy (2022) found that students experienced less mind-wandering when taking notes, and they also found that students who summarized in their notes performed better than students who worked to relate course content to prior knowledge. Abualzain (2024) found that students need training to adopt an effective split-page method of notetaking in a listening course. Potvin et al. (2023) researched note taking habits of first-year STEM students and discovered a preference for hand-written notes but that 50% attempt to write down everything their professor says, showing a lack of skill with identifying key ideas. This is supported by Fiorella & Mayer (2014) who highlight the need to train students how to summarize.
Resources for Faculty on Embedding Note Taking Instruction in Classes
This research indicates that faculty have a role to play in helping students take effective, strategic notes in their classes. So, what should students know about note taking?
Longhand or Typed Notes?
About 10 years ago, a study by Mueller & Oppenheimer (2014), widely publicized in the popular media, concluded that handwritten notes are significantly better than typed notes, on the hypothesis that typing notes leads to more verbatim recording and less mental processing and summarizing. When researchers attempted to duplicate that study, they found more nuances, some studies supporting the findings and some contradicting the findings.
Two meta-analyses (Allen et al., 2020; Flanigan et al., 2023) review and analyze the last decade of research on this topic provide more updated information upon which to guide students. Using exam and course grades as proxies for learning, Allen et al. (2020) conclude that electronic note taking has a detrimental effect compared with handwritten note taking. Flanigan et al. (2023) aggregated results from multiple studies to draw a careful conclusion that students who take handwritten notes outperform their peers who type their notes, with the caveat that none of the studies they reviewed took into consideration the needs of students with disabilities. The authors identify possible reasons why longhand notes are more effective for learning including identification and summary of key ideas, synthesis of information, and the ease of using diagrams/charts.
Shi & Yu’s (2024) meta-analysis explicates the positive, neutral, and negative aspects of electronic note taking, cautioning against the strong conclusions drawn by the two previously mentioned studies, as they do recognize some positive aspects, although they did not engage in statistical analyses of the findings in the studies they reviewed.
All of these studies advocate for continued research on these topics, although the best evidence currently available appears to support encouraging students who are able to take handwritten notes.
Students Need Help Learning to Take Notes
As identified above, a substantial number of students enter and even progress through college without effective note taking skills. Faculty should become familiar with several approaches to and methods of note taking and provide students with instruction, practice, and feedback about the efficacy of their notes. Additionally, faculty should encourage students to apply note taking skills both in-class and out-of-class for activities such as reading.
VTSU’s Academic Support staff are also available to assist students in study skill development, including note taking. They have familiarity with the methods of note taking described in this article and can provide students with examples.
Approaches to Note Taking
Self-Structured Notes
Self-structured notes are generated by individual students based on their own interpretation of important information from a lecture, reading, video, etc. Students may use any or any combination of methods (see next section) for taking notes, either based on training or instinct (training is recommended!).
Guided Notes
Guided notes are handouts that outline the lecture content with blanks for key concepts, facts, or relationships that students fill in during the lecture. This helps students focus on the key points and engage more actively in the lecture (Chen & Zhou, 2017). Offering a detailed template via guided notes offers transparency and creates an equitable learning environment where all students are focusing on the same key elements. Guided notes are versatile across different disciplines and work equally well for in-person, online asynchronous, online synchronous, F2F+, and hybrid course modalities. These can be especially helpful as a scaffolding tool when teaching students how to take notes or when introducing particularly complex or new content in class or assignment.
Methods of Note Taking
The List (Sentence) Method
The list method of note-taking involves recording information as a sequential list of ideas as they are presented. This can be in the form of short phrases or full paragraphs that delve into each idea in more detail. The list method works well for jotting down specific facts, names, dates, or other details. It can be beneficial when used in combination with other strategies. For example, initial notes can be taken using the list method, then restructured into an outline or concept map during the review process.
Advantages:
- Simplicity: The list method is straightforward, making it a comfortable starting point for students unfamiliar with other note-taking techniques.
- Flexible structure: The list method doesn’t demand hierarchical organization, making it adaptable for fast-paced lectures or discussions without a clear hierarchy.
- Active engagement: List-making requires attention and promotes engagement with the material being presented.
- Visual clarity: Lists present information in a clear and readable format.
Disadvantages:
- Lack of hierarchy: Since lists generally lack the hierarchical structure of other methods, students may have difficulty distinguishing between main ideas and supporting details.
- Excessive writing: This method can lead to an overemphasis on writing, potentially causing students to miss important points as they struggle to note down everything.
- Limited information processing: The list method focuses more on capturing as much of the lecture as possible in real-time rather than processing and understanding the material, which may affect long-term retention and understanding.
The Outline Method
The outline method of note-taking is a structured technique that involves organizing information in a hierarchical format. The main topics are written as top-level entries, and supporting ideas are indented and listed beneath the corresponding main concepts. The outline method presents relationships between ideas, showing how different pieces of information connect and fit together. This method works well in organized lectures or for instructional materials that follow a clear hierarchy. Here are the steps to creating outline notes:
- Create left-side headings: Headings represent a main idea or topic and are more general in scope.
- Indent for subheadings: Subheadings represent subtopics under the main idea or topic.
- Further indent for points: Points are supporting thoughts or facts for subheadings.
- Another level of indentation for sub-points: Sub-points are additional details about a point in your notes.
- Continue adding new headings or subheadings for different main ideas or topics.
Advantages:
- Organized structure: The outline method presents a hierarchy of information, which allows students to distinguish between main ideas, supporting details, and minor points.
- Effective review: The structured format simplifies the revision process, making it easier for students to locate specific pieces of information.
- Promotes understanding: By requiring students to categorize information according to its importance, the outlining method facilitates a deeper understanding of the material.
- Adaptability: Outlines can be expanded or modified to accommodate additional details or subpoints that emerge during a lecture or while studying.
Disadvantages:
- Requires concentration: The outline method requires active engagement and the ability to understand and categorize information in real time, which may be difficult during fast-paced lectures.
- Hierarchy anxiety: Students may struggle with determining the level of importance of specific pieces of information.
- Lack of flexibility: This method can be hard to adapt for discussions or lectures that don’t follow a clear hierarchy of learning concepts. Outlines are less effective for subjects that involve complex interrelationships between concepts.
- Time-consuming: It may take more time to create an outline than it would to take notes in other methodologies
The Concept Map
The concept map method of note-taking involves drawing a diagram that visually organizes information. The main topic is usually placed in the center of the map, and related ideas branch out from the main topic. This technique can effectively show relationships and hierarchies between ideas. Concept maps work well for learning situations where understanding the relationships between ideas is crucial, such as studying complex topics with interconnected ideas, brainstorming sessions, or reviewing materials to synthesize understanding. However, concept maps might not be the best choice for rapidly paced lectures or for people who prefer a more structured, linear format.
Advantages:
- Visual learning: Concept maps appeal to visual learners, as this method can help students see connections between ideas more clearly.
- Creative engagement: Concept maps can be more engaging and creative than linear note-taking styles, which may increase student interest and information recall.
- Flexible structure: Concept maps are easily expandable and adaptable, allowing for the addition of new information or connections as understanding deepens.
- Facilitates understanding: By mapping the relationship between ideas, this method can aid in understanding complex concepts and structures.
Disadvantages:
- Time-consuming: Creating a detailed concept map can be more time-consuming than other note-taking methods, which is especially challenging during a fast-paced lecture.
- Challenging for complex topics: It can be challenging to create a concept map for topics with complex interrelations or without a clear structure.
- Requires space: Concept mapping requires more space than linear methods, which can be a disadvantage when space is limited.
The Cornell (Split-Page) Method
The Cornell Method of note-taking, developed in the 1950s by Professor Walter Pauk at Cornell University, is a systematic approach designed for condensing, organizing, and reviewing notes (Pauk 2010). The Cornell Method is suitable for a wide variety of learning situations, particularly in lectures or reading assignments with a clear structure. It’s especially beneficial for subjects that require comprehensive review for exams, as the method emphasizes active recall. This method might be less effective for brainstorming sessions or for understanding complex, interconnected concepts where a visual representation, like a concept map, might be more appropriate.
The structure of the Cornell method involves dividing a page into four sections:
- Header: A small box across the top, which contains identification information like the course name and the date.
- Notes column: This is a wider column on the right hand portion of the page. It is used to capture main notes using any preferred method.
- Cue column: A narrow column on the left (about one-third of the page) called the “cue” column. This column is used both during the class and when reviewing notes and intended for jotting down main ideas, keywords, questions, and clarifications.
- Summary column: Area at the bottom of the page used for summarizing the class content in your own words after the session. This summarization aids in making sense of the notes for future reference, supporting recall, and studying.
Advantages:
- Organized structure: The Cornell Method provides a clear and organized structure that can help students locate and review information.
- Active engagement: This method encourages active engagement, as it involves generating questions and summarizing information.
- Facilitates review: This format is excellent for review, with cues and questions serving as prompts for active recall of information.
- Efficient: The Cornell method facilitates efficiency, as it encourages concise note-taking, which minimizes the risk of including unnecessary information in one’s notes.
Disadvantages:
- Requires discipline: The Cornell Method demands discipline in maintaining the structure and in consistently developing cues and summaries.
- Time-consuming: The method can be time-consuming, particularly the process of generating cues and summaries.
- Lack of flexibility: This method might be less suitable for lectures or discussions that don’t follow a linear or hierarchical structure, as it doesn’t readily allow for visual mapping of information.
The Charting Method
The Charting Method of note-taking is a visual strategy that involves creating a table or chart to organize information. The columns and rows are labeled with categories related to the topic, and the corresponding details are filled in as the student engages in the lecture or interacts with instructional materials. The charting method is particularly useful in learning situations where information can be organized into categories, such as comparing different theories or concepts, summarizing a series of events or steps, or classifying items or ideas. This method is less effective for recording materials that follow a story or progression of information.
Advantages:
- Organized and concise: The charting method provides a clear, concise layout that facilitates easy review of information.
- Comparison and contrasting: This method works well for showing relationships, such as comparing and contrasting different ideas or concepts.
- Visual: Charting offers a visual representation of information that can be beneficial for visual learners.
Disadvantages:
- Not well-suited for fast-paced lectures: Charting can be challenging to use, as creating and filling in a chart takes time.
- Requires prior knowledge: This method works best when you know ahead of time what categories will be useful.
- Limited details: Charting might not be suitable for capturing extensive details or complex concepts that don’t fit neatly into the table’s structure.
How to Provide Note-taking Guidance for Students
As a university instructor, here are some strategies you can employ to help your students become better note-takers:
- Prompt early note-taking: Guide students to start note-taking as soon as the lecture begins, ensuring they don’t miss any important points.
- Promote active note-taking: Suggest students choose a seat that optimizes their ability to see and hear and urge them to remain alert during lectures.
- Promote structured note-taking: Encourage students to take notes in an organized format. This helps them identify main ideas first and then elaborate the details.
- Teach note-taking strategies: Spend some time at the beginning of the term teaching different note-taking methods and explain the benefits and drawbacks of each.
- Share examples: Discuss with students the note-taking examples outlined in this teaching guide. If possible, you could suggest a specific method most aligned with the structure of the daily lecture or course readings. You can also share your version of lecture notes after class, so that students can compare and model their notes to yours.
- Advocate for concise note-taking: Teach your students to record notes in complete thoughts while abbreviating and simplifying where possible.
- Discourage verbatim transcription: Stress the importance of understanding and summarizing content rather than attempting to create a word for word record, which can lead to missing important points. You can also suggest students use symbols to identify or emphasize items in their notes.
- Stress the importance of readability: Remind students to write legibly, making their notes easier to study later.
- Emphasize specialized vocabulary: Encourage students to highlight new or difficult terms and to write down or look up their definitions.
- Advocate for differentiating facts from opinions: Teach students to distinguish between factual information and the professor’s opinions, encouraging them to add their own thoughts to their notes.
- Encourage inclusion of visuals: Prompt students to copy diagrams or other visuals that aid in understanding concepts during later study sessions.
- Provide feedback: If possible, review student notes occasionally to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.
- Encourage chronological organization of notes: Recommend students keep their notes for each class separate and start a new set each day of class. This enhances study efficiency.
- Urge consistent attendance: Impress upon students the importance of attending all lectures to ensure a comprehensive set of notes, equating it to having all of the chapters of a book.
- Stress note-taking during discussions: Advise students to take notes during tutorial discussions, allowing them to link lecture notes with tutor group discussions.
References
Information about guided notes and methods of note taking are from the Note-taking guide by Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, using a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC 4.). Any re-use of this information should include and apply this same license.
Abualzain, O. Y. (2024). The effect of implementing Cornell note-taking strategies on new students’ performance in listening comprehension. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1408.10
Allen, M., LeFebvre, L., LeFebvre, L., & Bourhis, J. (2020). Is the pencil mightier than the keyboard? A meta-analysis comparing the method of notetaking outcomes. Southern Communication Journal, 85(3), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2020.1764613
Chen, P.-H., Teo, T., & Zhou, M. (2017). Effects of guided notes on enhancing college students’ lecture note-taking quality and learning performance. Current Psychology, 36(4), 719–732.
Fiorella, L., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). Eight ways to promote generative learning. Educational Psychology Review, 28(4), 717–741. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9348-9
Flanigan, A. E., Wheeler, J., Colliot, T., Lu, J., & Kiewra, K. A. (2024). Typed versus handwritten lecture notes and college student achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(3), 78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09914-w
Lalchandani, L. A., & Healy, A. F. (2022). Elucidating the cognitive processes involved in the note‐taking effect. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36(5), 1009–1021. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3985
Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over laptop note-taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), pp. 1159-1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581
Northern, P. E., Tauber, S. K., St. Hilaire, K. J., & Carpenter, S. K. (2023). Application of a two-phase model of note quality to explore the impact of instructor fluency on students’ note-taking. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 12(1), 94–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000032
Potvin, M.-C., Chabot, M., Garrity, A., Hass, R., Zane, C., & Bower, A. (2023). Are iGen freshman different? Notetaking habits of STEM students: A descriptive study. International Journal of Progressive Education, 19(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.29329/ijpe.2023.534.1
Rachal, K. C., Daigle, S., & Rachal, W. S. (2007). Learning problems reported by college students: Are they using learning strategies? Journal of Instructional Psychology, 34(4), 191–199.
Reed, D. K., Rimel, H., & Hallett, A. (2016). Note-taking interventions for college students: A synthesis and meta-analysis of the literature. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(3), 307–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2015.1105894
Salame, I. I., & Thompson, A. (2020). Students’ views on strategic note-taking and its impact on performance, achievement, and learning. International Journal of Instruction, 13(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.1321a
Shi, Y., & Yu, Z. (2024). The effect of laptop note-taking on students’ learning performance, strategies, and satisfaction. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 22(1), 78–91. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.22.1.3396
Stapleton-Corcoran, E. (2023). Note-taking. Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Information about guided notes, methods of note taking, and how to provide guidance are from the Note-taking guide by Erin Stapleton-Corcoran, using a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC 4.).
Selecting Educational Apps

Jeff Tunney
Associate Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation
Do you have an interest in leveraging educational apps in your classroom but don’t know where or how to start?
There are many options available, but it is vital to put pedagogy before technology. In other words, apps shouldn’t be chosen arbitrarily. They should be selected and introduced in an intentional manner that adds value to the student learning experience. One recommended resource to use as part of the selection process is the Padagogy Wheel, which is now in its seventh iteration.
Developed by Allan Carrington, a learning designer from the University of Adelaide in South Australia, The Padagogy Wheel brings together in the one chart several different domains of pedagogical thinking. It situates mobile apps within this integrated framework, associating them with the educational purpose they are most likely to serve. It then enables teachers to identify the pedagogical place and purpose of their various app-based learning and teaching activities in the context of their overall objectives for the course, and with reference to the wider developmental needs of their students (Carrington, 2016).
An excellent feature in version seven, which was developed in 2024, is the convenient availability of embedded comments that describe the purpose of each app as well as a large number of associated instructional strategies.
Another educational app selection consideration should be the availability of technical support. Although faculty members are encouraged to investigate apps that best meet their needs and those of their students, it is worth noting which apps are formally supported by Vermont State’s technology teams. They include Canvas, YuJa, Microsoft 365, and Zoom. To learn more about these resources as well as several other commonly used apps, we encourage you to visit the CTLI’s Educational Apps page.
Resources
- Carrington, A. (2016, June 20). The Padagogy Wheel. Education Technology Solutions. https://educationtechnologysolutions.com/2016/06/padagogy-wheel/
Teaching with AI

Are you interested in learning more about ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools?
The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation has partnered with the Auburn University Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning to provide VTSU faculty members with an opportunity to participate in the award-winning Teaching with AI, a fully-online, self-paced, asynchronous course especially designed for higher education faculty.
The course, which includes content focused on the technical, pedagogical, theoretical, and ethical implications of AI, should be beneficial to beginners as well as more advanced users of this emerging technology.
What are the goals of the course?
- Learn about AI and its implications for teaching and learning in higher education – especially those relating to academic integrity;
- Consider examples (good and bad) of how to redesign courses for AI;
- Experiment with AI tools, redesign assignments, and get feedback;
- Engage in conversations about your thinking on topics related to AI in the college classroom;
- Access a (growing and evolving) repository of research on teaching with AI;
- Engage your department colleagues in the conversation by modeling best practices and sharing your learning to ensure students in your program have a consistent, comparable learning experience no matter who is leading the class.
What is the time commitment and what do I earn by completing the course?
- The total time for an engaged learner to complete all five modules is between 10 to 15 hours.
- The VTSU licenses expire on April 1, 2025.
- If you complete one assignment at the end of each module, you will earn an AI Explorer digital badge to add to your CV.
How do I sign-up?
The CTLI has purchased licenses for 100 VTSU faculty members, available first-come, first-served. Please submit the form below to express interest. As long as licenses are available, your login credentials will be created and your enrollment into the course will be initiated. Further instructions and correspondence will be emailed to your Vermont State email address.
Spotlight on LinkedIn Learning Resources for Faculty

What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning provides 24-hour access to high-quality, on-demand, online video courses and collections for professional development and training in specific skills, taught by industry experts. LinkedIn Learning has over 300,000 tutorials and 16,000+ professionally produced videos on a wide range of topics.
Each month, we’re featuring LinkedIn Learning courses that may be of interest to you and your students.
Here’s the selection for January:
- Creating a Culture of Collaboration
- Mindfulness for Beginners
- Leadership Through Feedback
- What is Copilot: Get Started with Microsoft’s Everyday AI Companion
- Managing Meetings
LinkedIn Learning is now available to everyone on campus, including students, at no cost!
Bookmark LinkedIn Learning in your favorite browser and use your VTSU credentials to sign in.
The VTSU license for LinkedIn Learning is available through a recent federal grant for the next two years.