Today some of my colleagues were discussing potential drawbacks of students using computers in the classroom.  Some felt that one of the major drawbacks is that students simply "transcribe" everything that is said rather than engaging in selective-note-taking, and the class.

I am interested in learning more about this because I talk often with my students about note-taking, learning styles, and study habits.  I am wondering what your thoughts about this are.  Please share them with me by commenting or clicking here. 

If you are a professor, do you agree that transcribing is a poor way of learning?  Have you noticed that students who transcribe tend to do less well?   Is transcribing on a computer different than taking comprehensive handwritten notes that extensively cover almost every word that is said in class?  Does the effectiveness of transcribing differ from person to person, depending on the student's learning style and what else the student is doing to engage with the material?

Does anyone know of any research on this topic?  I can imagine that those that study academic support principles, learning theory, or learning styles might have information about the differences between handwriting notes and typing notes, as well as the differences between selective note-taking and comprehensive note-taking.

If you are a student, do you tend to type everything that is said?  If so, do you do well in your classes?  Poorly?  Are you also following along, thinking, and answering questions raised by the professor to yourself at the same time you are transcribing?  Do you review the transcript later to correct mistakes, clarify statements, and write down your questions about the material?  Do you review it again when you are outlining to prepare for the paper or exam?

In the interest of full-disclosure, while I attended law school before the dawn of the computer-in-the class era, I was notorious for taking comprehensive notes.  Many of my peers, should they need to miss a class, would rather have had anyone else than me take notes for them.  They would elect to use selective notes that doubtless missed more than one key idea over near verbatim notes that did not differentiate between important and less important ideas.

That said, I realize that multi-tasking is not typically as successful as focusing on one task.  I am open to the idea that focusing on transcribing may detract from a student's ability to focus on engaging with the class.