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Home Disability Resources for Students Current DRS Students Note Taking Assistance

Note Taking Assistance 

Types of Note Taking Assistance 

There are various methods for providing note taking assistance. DRS staff will determine the most appropriate method in consultation with students based on individual circumstances.

Types of note taking assistance accommodations are listed below:

  • Copy of PowerPoints/Slides 
  • Use of Electronic Device for Taking Notes 
  • Lecture Recordings 
  • Allowance to Take Pictures of the Board 
  • Use of Note Taking Software 
  • Peer Notetaker 

Note Taking Equipment Available for Checkout 

Livescribe SmartPens 

  • The Livescribe smartpen captures everything that you write and everything that is spoken. Inside the pen is a camera that takes a picture of your notes as you write them. It also has a built-in microphone that records what is being said. Once the pen is turned on, the pen will begin taking a picture of the notes that you write. The Livescribe smartpen works with Livescribe dot paper.
  • Students who are approved for this accommodation can check out the Livescribe smartpen and Livescribe paper from DRS.

Digital Audio Recorder 

  • DRS can check out digital audio recorders to students who are eligible for this accommodation. These can be useful for students who may need to record and review lecture information.

Glean Software 

  • Glean is a note-taking app that can be downloaded in a smart phone and PC. It can be used during lectures and presentations to capture audio notes, import PowerPoint slides, and add comments. Glean's phone app can synchronize with the PC app. This makes it easy to switch between taking notes on a phone during a lecture and using a computer to review and add to those notes at home.
  • The DRS provides students who are approved for this accommodation a copy of this app.
  • Glean Videos

Peer Notetaker 

Peer notetakers may be approved in rare situations where students are unable to take accurate notes independently. If you have been approved for this accommodation, you may download your notes and see who your peer notetaker is by following the instructions in this tutorial video or following the procedure below:

  1. Log in to the DRS Online student portal
  2. Scroll down and clicking on “notetaking services” on the left-hand side of the page under the “Accommodations” heading.
  3. You will first see two small boxes “Available Notes” and “Notetaking Services Requests.”
  4. Under the “Available Notes” box, you may select all the notes uploaded by your assigned notetaker(s) by clicking “View Notes.”
  5. You will then click “Download,” and your notes will appear. Once downloaded, you may save them to the device of your choice.
  6. Under the “Notetaking Services Requests” box, click on “View Request” to see the listing of your currently enrolled courses and the name of your assigned notetaker(s). The system will also notify you if no notetaker has been assigned for a particular class.
  7. At any time during the semester, you may log into your DRS portal and select my mailbox under the “My Dashboard,” heading on the left-hand side to view all your notetaking related emails.