Lectures at university can be quite different from lessons at school and college, particularly when you are taught in a big group. This activity will help you to make the most out of lectures.

It’s hard to know what a lecture is like until you’ve been to one. Even if you’ve attended some sample webinars, it’s not quite the same as the real thing where you will need to take notes and interpret information.

Studying online with University of the Built Environment means studying at your own pace, no matter where you are in the world. It means being able to balance your home and work life with your education, offering unrivalled options for customising your study experience. This includes lectures, which can feel intimidating in person, but can be much more manageable when you’re in your own space. Options to pause and rewatch our recorded lectures mean that you can revisit learning material as many times as you need, without needing to ask the lecturer to go over a concept again.

Keeping up with note taking, being in a big group and managing your time so you can attend lectures can be both challenging and exciting – just like the content of lectures themselves. Many students really enjoy lectures as it’s a chance to learn more about a subject you’re really interested in from an expert in your field.

Before you start attending your lectures, it’s a good idea to get some systems in place to support you with aspects such as note taking and organisation. You may want to create physical or digital folders for each module, organising these by week or by topic, depending on your preference. Having some good systems in place before you get stuck into the learning content can help you feel equipped with the right information when it’s time to tackle your first assessment.

Making notes

1. You can’t really write down everything that is said, even if you have amazing shorthand skills. Though developing your own shorthand and abbreviations isn’t a bad idea (see this Guardian article). There’s also a wealth of assistive software and apps available to support with note taking, such as Genio, Otter.ai, and Caption.Ed.
2. It’s not helpful to simply copy exactly what’s on the slides. Slides are generally uploaded to the virtual learning environment prior to the lecture anyway, so you can access them anytime you need.
3. Try to write what you think about the contents of the lecture, reflectively, as well as the main points of what is said.
4. Mind mapping, either via software on your laptop or drawn by hand, can be a really useful way of showing how ideas are linked and might suit your way of thinking better than writing down full paragraphs or even bullet points.

Question time

1. If you have any questions during or after your lecture, you can post these in your module forums. If you’re not comfortable posting on the forum, there are also options to attend one-to-one sessions with a member of your module team, post in the Weekly Q&A page, or you can email a member of the team.
2. If you find a concept or example unclear, or simply need information provided in a different format, don’t be afraid to email your lecturer to request this.

Talking to your lecturer about autism

It can be beneficial to tell your lecturers that you are autistic and how it affects you – even if you think they already know. Read Fern’s interview and the toolkit section on Telling people at university about your autism, if you haven’t already done so.

1. Do you prefer to read handouts online or on paper?
2. What helps you to focus on someone speaking?
3. How will you organise your notes?
4. Do you know who to ask if you have a question or problem?
5. Will you attend lectures live, on-demand, or a combination of both?