Pasting and Encoding: Note-Taking in Online Courses

Studies have shown that both the act of note-taking and the use of notes for review can promote learning. Many note-taking applications have been developed for computer-based learning content. In general, they include advanced annotation functionality, and are geared toward supporting collaboration and discussion. Though these devices have been shown to change note-taking behavior, their effect on learning has not been evaluated. The goal of our research is to evaluate the effect of specific features of note-taking applications on behavior and learning, in order to develop guidelines for advanced note-taking applications that promote learning. These applications could be used as the basis for a variety of educational activities, including collaboration. In this paper, we present the results of an experiment evaluating a basic feature of note-taking technology: copy-paste. Our findings indicate that copy-paste functionality can be detrimental to learning. We describe potential implications of these results for the developers of notetaking applications.