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Academic Note taker Role Description and Guidance

Notetakers must take time to read the guidelines in the Ahead Handbook. They contain practical advice and have been developed using the experience of others working in the field.  The role of a Notetaker is to record accurate and detailed notes on content delivered in lectures or other oral presentations for a student.

Three types of Academic Note-taking services are available:

  • An Electronic Notetaker may, document the presentation on a laptop during the lecture and e-mail the content to the student.
  • An Electronic Notetaker can, record notes on a laptop during the lecture which appears simultaneously on the student’s laptop screen.
  • Handwritten notes can be taken but must be typed and emailed to the student within 24 hours.

Responsibilities

  • Note taking services to be provided for all necessary lectures, tutorials, labs and academic contact hours for relevant students.
  • The Note Taker is to record accurate and detailed notes on content delivered in lectures or other oral presentations for a student. Note Takers should be able to record notes quickly and accurately, preferably in typed format and should have good spelling and grammar
  • The Note-taker maybe required to act as a Note-taker to more than one student in the same class of study
  • An electronic copy of any notes taken should be provided to the student(s), and also to the DSS, clearly indicating the date/time/location of the lecture, tutorial or lab, the module (subject) and the name(s) of the student(s) for whom the notes were prepared.
  • In cases where specialist training/permissions are required (e.g. in laboratories where hazardous material may be handled), the NT will undergo any necessary training in order to be permitted to attend same.
  • If required, the NT will provide their own equipment (e.g. laptop computer), and accept full responsibility for same.
  • Timetables are subject to change at short notice. NT services must be available at short notice in such cases.
  • Undertake other services and/or training as and when requested by his/her line manager.
  • Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Email and Internet. In some cases.

The Notetaker must:

  • Work under the direction of Servisource Healthcare, rigorously following administrative
  • Work within the timetable provided by Servisource Education Support.
  • Demonstrate high standards of professionalism

Guidelines for the Academic Notetaker:

Servisource Education Support will contact the Notetaker to discuss the role and check availability for the times that the student requires the support

Servisource will confirm the type of support and the number of hours that the student will require. It is important that the Notetaker only provides the support stated by Servisource.

The Notetaker must undergo Servisource Education Induction / Note taker Training  and become familiar with logging in and out of shifts.

An Academic Notetaker unable to support a student, for example, because of illness or a change in circumstances, must contact Servisource immediately, so that Servisource can try to obtain cover (if required). Servisource MUST be contacted by phone between the hours of 7am and 11pm on 1800 603 604 and speak with a member of the team in relation to absences.

Contacting Students:

Notetakers must make sure they are aware of the preferred method of communicating with the student they have been assigned. Generally, all communication will be via email.

Before supporting the Student:

The Notetaker must discuss with the student what their requirements and preferences are with regard   to how they would like their notes to be recorded. It is important to ascertain requirements for structure, format, level of detail etc.

We advise the Academic Note taker not to sit beside the student unless requested by the student.

The Notetaker must determine beforehand if they are required to take notes which include all the discussions, questions and comments in addition to the lecture.

The Educational Support Worker HANDBOOK advises:

  • The Notetaker should not edit content – only the content delivered in the presentation should be provided.
  • The Notetaker should introduce themselves to lecturers at the beginning of the term in order to ensure receipt of copies of any notes provided by the lecturer.
  • The Notetaker should refrain from participation in class discussions.
  • A Notetaker must not give copies of the notes to any third party, unless directed to do so by the Disability Support Service.
  • If a Notetaker is unable to attend a presentation, sufficient notice should be given to the Education Support Team in Servisource so that an alternative Notetaker can be assigned.
  • In the event that a student does not require notetaking services for a particular lecture they are required to give 24 hours’ notice.
  • If adequate notice is not given, the Academic Notetaker is entitled to be paid in full for the session.
  • Note taking services are provided on the condition that students receiving the service attend all sessions for which they receive the service. If the Academic Note taker is aware the student has not arrived within the first 20 minutes the notes should be forwarded to Servisource Education Support.
  • In exceptional circumstances, such as absence due to illness, a student may receive lecture notes while absent – with the approval of the Disability Support Service and confirmed by Servisource.

Prior to submitting the notes to the student, the Notetaker should:

  • Proof read and spell-check the notes.
  • Record references, key names and terminologies as accurately as possible.
  • Record the summaries at the beginning and end of the lecture.
  • Not use abbreviations unless agreed with the student in advance.
  • Not select ‘relevant’ or ‘important’ material. It is up to the student to decide this for themselves.
  • Not attempt to summarise a point which is not understood by the Notetaker – clarification should be sought from the lecturer at the end of the session.

Guidelines for Presentation of Notes:

  • Include the date, course title, name of lecturer and location of lecture on the first page of all notes.
  • Notes should be in Arial black, font size 12, with 1.5 spacing. This can be agreed with the student but is the recommended default style.
  • All pages should be numbered.
  • If a lecture is cancelled record this at the beginning of the notes for the following lecture. This will help to avoid confusion around ‘missing’ notes.
  • Notetaker’s name
  • Title of session or lecture

The Notetaker must not:

  • Under any circumstances advise the Lecturer of the student that they are supporting. If asked by the Lecturer why they are present the Notetaker should respond“I am a Servisource Education Support I am here to take notes on behalf of a student and I have been advised that I do not name that person. If you require further information please can I ask that you contact the Disability Office’. Please also contact a member of the Education Support team to advise of the query.
  • Attend a lecture or seminar in the place of the student unless this has been agreed through Servisource Education Support.
  • Assist the student with the academic content of their work.
  • Write down their own ideas or comments or misrepresent the contents of the lecture in any This is to ensure that the student has access to the same information as everyone else.
  • Carry out any physical task that may present a risk to their or their student’s health and
  • Undertake any moving or handling of a
  • Undertake any moving or handling of a student’s wheelchair (or other mobility aid) unless this has been discussed and agreed with Servisource Healthcare.

After the lecture/between lectures:

  • Provide the notes within 24 hours
  • If the Notetaker is working with more than one student, Servisource Education Support will advise the Notetaker how to handover the notes.
  • The Notetaker must regularly check with the student the suitability of the notes they are providing and check that the student is satisfied with the support.
  • The Notetaker must be aware that the notes are the property of the student for whom they have been taken.
  • It is important the clear lines of communication are established so that the student can contact the Academic Notetaker if any additional arrangements need to be made.
  • If the Notetaker is asked by a student to provide them with any support beyond that which has been agreed the Notetaker must contact Servisource Education Support immediately, prior to carrying out such support.
  • The Notetaker must adhere to the Servisource Education Support Booked Session Policy when arranging sessions with the student and in the event of a cancellation.
  • If the Notetaker has any specific concerns with regard to the student’s academic support requirements or welfare they must contact Servisource Education Support Team immediately to raise this concern.