Scribba
A blank header looks like busywork. Course, lecture number, date, topic: who cares, when the professor is already talking? You will, in week twelve, when the exam covers "everything since the second midterm" and you're paging through forty untitled pages trying to find where that starts.
A lecture notes template solves that with a few fields at the top and one box at the bottom. This guide explains what each part is for and gives you a short routine to use it the same way every class.
What's on the page
Scribba's Lecture Notes paper, in the Study section of the paper picker, has four fields at the top: COURSE, LECTURE #, DATE and TOPIC. Below them are ruled lines for your notes, and at the bottom there's a KEY TAKEAWAYS box. The fields are blank: you write in each one yourself.
Why each field earns its place
- COURSE seems obvious inside a class notebook, but it matters the moment a page gets shared, exported or moved. A page should say where it belongs.
- LECTURE # lines your notes up with the syllabus. When the professor says the exam covers lectures 9 to 16, you know exactly which pages to study.
- DATE is how you match a page to the recording, the slides posted that day, or a classmate's notes.
- TOPIC is the most useful field of all. Write it in the words you'd search for later. "Lecture 7" tells you nothing; "Supply shocks and inflation" tells you everything.
- KEY TAKEAWAYS is where you turn a page of notes into a few ideas worth remembering. More on that below.
A routine for every class
The template works best when you use it the same way each time. Here's a routine in three parts.
Before class: two minutes
- Fill in the header. Course, lecture number and date. If the syllabus lists the day's topic, write that too.
- Read last lecture's key takeaways. It takes thirty seconds and puts you back in the thread of the course before the professor picks it up.
During class: notes, not transcription
- Write in your own words. You can't keep up word for word, and trying stops you from thinking.
- Use short headings when the topic changes, so the page has structure when you come back to it.
- Mark confusion right away. A question mark in the margin at the moment you get lost is far more useful than a vague feeling later.
- Leave space after anything you didn't finish, so you can fill it in after class.
- Leave the takeaways box empty. That's for after.
If the pace is a problem, how to keep up with fast lecturers has techniques that help.
After class: fill the box from memory
As soon as you can, ideally the same day, look away from your notes and write the key takeaways from memory. Two to four of the main ideas from the lecture is plenty. Then check them against your notes and fix anything you got wrong or left out.
Doing it from memory is the point. Pulling ideas back out of your head is a form of active recall, and it's much better for learning than rereading. It also shows you right away what didn't stick. While you're there, answer your question marks. How to review your notes after class has a fuller version of this routine.
When exams come, the takeaways boxes are your review sheet. Flip through them in order and you have the whole course in summary, one lecture per box.
Lecture notes or Cornell notes?
Both are made for class, and both build in a review step. The difference is where that step lives.
- Cornell Notes paper has a cue column for questions beside your notes and a summary box at the bottom. It suits courses where you'll quiz yourself a lot, and in Scribba each cue can become a flashcard, on any iPad. See Cornell notes on iPad.
- Lecture Notes paper gives the whole width of the page to your notes and puts the course, lecture number and topic front and center. It suits fast, dense lectures and courses where keeping lectures in order matters.
You can mix them in one notebook, since paper is set per page.
Using the template in Scribba
Make a notebook for the class and choose Lecture Notes paper, or switch any page to it from the page sidebar. Pull past the last page to add the next one.
If you record lectures, Start Lecture adds a dated, bookmarked page to the class notebook and starts recording in one tap. If you want that page on Lecture Notes paper, change its paper from the page sidebar. Every stroke you write is linked to the recording, so later you can tap one of your question marks and hear exactly what you missed. Ask your professor before recording; policies vary.
On iPads that support Apple Intelligence, with it turned on, Scribba writes the key points of each lecture once the recording is transcribed. Write your own takeaways first, then compare. What Did I Miss? lists what your notes left out, ready to add to the page.
Tip: because you wrote a clear TOPIC on every page, handwriting search becomes much more useful. Search for a topic from the library and the results open on the matching page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Scribba fill in the date and lecture number for me?
No. The fields on Lecture Notes paper are blank, and you write them in. Start Lecture does add a dated, bookmarked page when you start recording.
How many key takeaways should I write?
Two to four main ideas is a good range. If you can't choose, ask which points the professor would most likely put on an exam.
Can I use the template without recording?
Yes. The template is just paper. Recording is optional and works on any page.