Notetaker Handbook
– Law School
O:\McBurney\Services\McBMain\NT\Trainings\Handbook for NTs\Law NT Handbook
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 3
LAW SCHOOL NOTETAKING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 4
Notetaker Responsibilities: 4
Service User Responsibilities: 4
Law School Staff Responsibilities: 5
Law School Faculty Responsibilities: 5
McBurney Responsibilities: 5
NOTETAKER PAYMENT POLICIES 6
NOTETAKING MECHANICS – General Suggestions 7
GENERAL INFORMATION 9
REFERENCES 10
INTRODUCTION
Good classroom notes are vital to college students. Lecture notes are a permanent record of a lecture and can be used for review at a later date. Class notes remind students of assignments and dates for exams. Class notes are often used when preparing papers and reports.
Some students, because of their disabilities, have difficulty taking notes themselves. A student who is deaf and uses interpreter services has difficulty watching the interpreter and taking notes at the same time. A student who is hard of hearing may miss parts of the lecture if the instructor turns and faces the blackboard or walks around the room. Some students with learning disabilities have auditory or language processing difficulties. Some students with disabilities such as quadriplegia, cerebral palsy or arthritis are unable to write or cannot write quickly enough. Through the use of notetakers, these students can focus their attention on the instructor and still have a complete set of lecture notes. As a notetaker, you are responsible for providing the student with that set of notes.
This manual contains information about your responsibilities as a Law School notetaker, program policies and procedures, and suggestions for taking notes.
LAW SCHOOL NOTETAKING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Notetaker Responsibilities:
Please follow these steps if you are a paid notetaker for a law student course:
1. Respond to Mike Hall’s email confirming you will be a paid notetaker. (Mike Hall, Assistant Dean, Room 5101 Law School, , 608-890-0115)
2. Submit copies of notes weekly to designated email addresses as directed.
3. Attend all scheduled classes.
4. If you are absent from class, you are responsible for ensuring the provision of substitute notes. Identifying a substitute early in the semester is often helpful. If you need assistance finding a substitute, contact Mike.
5. Give Mike at least two weeks' notice if you plan to quit.
6. Be responsive to feedback and willing to adjust notes as needed.
7. If you are not a native US citizen, please submit copies of the appropriate documentation needed for payment to
8. Payment checks will be sent to your mailing address listed in the Student Center. If you want your check sent to an alternate address, contact Mike prior to the 10th week of class.
9. Contact B.A. Scheuers at if you do not receive payment. Checks are generally mailed around exam time for students who submit paperwork by the deadlines, but this is not guaranteed.
Service User Responsibilities:
Please follow these steps if you are requesting a paid notetaker for your Law School classes:
1. Respond to an email from Mike Hall regarding what classes you would like to request a paid notetaker.
2. Contact Mike if you have concerns about the quality of notes you are receiving from your notetaker.
3. You are expected to attend class regularly. If you have absences related to your disability, contact your Accommodation Specialist.
4. Inform Mike and the McBurney Notetaker Coordinator if you decide to drop a class.
5. Respond to surveys for each of your notetakers and the notetaker program when requested.
6. Notes are for your use only and should not be distributed to others in the class.
Law School Staff Responsibilities:
· Send out notetaking recruitment announcements to students enrolled in class sections requiring notetakers.
· Select the notetaker from among the interested applicants, with student input if requested.
· Ensure that notetakers are hired for each of the classes requested by the student.
· Send notetakers the link to the Law School Notetaker Handbook.
· Provide free photocopying to notetakers, as needed.
· Distribute notes to the service users
· Submit Paid Notetakers’ information to McBurney for payment verification.
Law School Faculty Responsibilities:
· Assist with the recruitment of notetakers by making class announcements, sending out recruitment emails to the class roster, or approaching students directly, as needed.
· Assist with the selection of notetakers, as needed.
· Provide feedback on the quality of the notes, as needed.
McBurney Responsibilities:
· Refer law students to Mike Hall to discuss accommodation requests.
· Update Law School Notetaker Handbook, as needed.
· Process payment to notetakers.
· Follow up on payment questions or problems.
If you have questions or problems with the notetaking service, please contact McBurney Disability Resource Center’s Notetaking Coordinator at .
NOTETAKER PAYMENT POLICIES
How much are notetakers paid?
Notetakers are paid $2.46 per 60 minutes for lectures, equal to an approximately $30 per credit stipend if they take notes for the entire semester. If notetakers take notes for more than one student in the class for the entire semester, they receive an additional 50% of the base stipend for each additional student. In some instances, students may drop courses or switch notetakers. Payment will be prorated for notetakers who have not provided notes for the entire class. Payment may also be prorated if notetakers are absent without providing adequate substitute notes.
Payment checks will be sent to your mailing address listed in the Student Center. If you want your check sent to an alternate address, contact Mike prior to the 10th week of class.
If you are not a native US citizen, please submit copies of the appropriate documentation needed for payment.
Checks will be from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They may include a notation “McBurney Center payment for notes” on the check stub.
NOTETAKING MECHANICS – General Suggestions
Information on notetaking can be found at notetaking methods. Below is a list of helpful tips for being an effective notetaker along with a notetaking checklist.
Review your notes.
· Reread your notes from the previous lecture just before class to prepare yourself for the lecture.
Identify each page of notes.
· Write the course name, the date of the lecture, and the page number in the upper right‑hand corner on each page of the notes. Repeat the procedure for each lecture. If you are emailing notes taken on a laptop, we suggest using the class name and date as the file name (e.g., CriminalLaw091711.doc)
Use 8 1/2 x 11‑inch standard‑sized paper.
· The Law School will provide free photocopying of your notes
Be on time.
· Be prepared to write when the lecture begins. The first point made by the lecturer may be the key to the entire lecture.
Organize the information.
· Organize the information from the lecture so that the main points and supporting ideas and facts are complete and clear, without further explanation. Use an outline format when appropriate. Skip lines between ideas. Use indentations for subheadings. Number the items. When helpful, draw a vertical line down the left-hand side of each page. Use this column to emphasize definitions, key words and phrases, and further explanations.
Write legibly.
· Try to make your writing easy to read. Notes made in pen are much more legible than those in pencil.
Leave a space if you miss a point.
· Ask the instructor or another student for clarification if you missed a point.
Be alert to the instructor's tone and emphasis.
· These may be clues to important information or to things that may appear on exams. To mark points of emphasis, the notetaker can underline, use asterisks, stars, circles, or write the word in capital letters. Do not use too many points of emphasis.
Use correct spelling.
· When you are unsure of the spelling of a word, write "SP?" above the word. Correct the word by checking with the instructor or looking it up in the textbook or a dictionary. If the word keeps reappearing in the notes misspelled, the student may learn the incorrect spellings.
Develop a style of abbreviating.
· Common abbreviations and symbols found in most dictionaries are often helpful. If you’re using your own abbreviations, write down a list of the abbreviations and their meanings and submit the list with your notes.
Include as much of the important information as you can.
· Record all outlines, diagrams, or lists that the instructor writes on the blackboard. Don't assume that the student with the disability knows as much as you do about the subject. You will probably include more information in his/her notes than you would in your own notes.
Indicate speakers, films, and notes on the blackboard.
· Indicate the comments made by other students and those made by the instructor so that the student will be able to distinguish between the two. If you are taking notes in a math class, indicate which work was done by the teacher and by students, and indicate if the problem is correct or incorrect.
Notetakers Checklist:
o Each page has class name, date, and page number.
o The paper is written on one side only.
o I use dark ink.
o My writing is legible.
o When I am unsure of a word or an idea, I leave it blank and fill it in later.
o My spelling is accurate.
o I use white space effectively.
o I have the ability to listen and store while I write.
o I make maximum use of the cues given by the teacher.
o I mark points of emphasis so that they are more noticeable.
o I use complete ideas.
o I include all diagrams and illustrations.
o I try to organize the information in the most understandable way.
o My notes are complete without further explanation.
o In a discussion I indicate who is speaking.
o I’ve submitted a list of abbreviations I use in my notes.
o If submitting notes in electronic format, I use file names which make it easy to find and organize the notes (e.g. criminallaw092511.doc – name of class and date of lecture)
GENERAL INFORMATION
McBurney Address:
McBurney Disability Resource Center
702 W. Johnson Street, Suite 2104
Madison, WI 53715
McBurney Phone Numbers:
Notetaker Coordinator: 608-263-2741
Gwynette Hall: 608-265-5468
B.A. Scheuers (payment issues): 608-263-2747
McBurney E-Mail Addresses:
Notetaker Coordinator:
Gwynette Hall:
B.A. Scheuers (payment issues):
Law School Contact Information:
Michael Hall
Director of Student Life
Room 5101 Law School
608-890-0115
REFERENCES
Osguthorpe, R. T. The Tutor/Notetaker: Providing Academic Support to Mainstreamed Deaf
Students. Washington, D.C.: The Alexander Graham Bell Association, 1980.
Osguthorpe, R. T., Wilson, J. J., Goldman, W. R., & Panara, J. E. Manager's Guide: The
Tutor/Notetaker. Washington, D.C.: The Alexander Graham Bell Association, 1980.