Good Problem Solving Notes are More Important! (Score 1)

Take a moment to re-think this desire to type-set class notes... Why worry so much about electronic class note-taking in a science, engineering, or mathematics course? Why not spend the best of your energies solving difficult problems and preparing for the exams? Unlike arts electives, probelm solving is the real meat of these courses. You're rarely asked to reproduce neatly type-set class notes on an exam! But just think of how much more capable (on an exam or a real-life engineering analysis situation on-the-job) you will be if you spend more time solving extra problems. Try this: just take good hand-written notes (that can be digitally scanned later for portability or topic-specifc filing) or read and & annotate PDF's provided by the more enlightened professors. Then when problem-solving make detailed notes of your solutions using electronic entry like LyX or MathCAD. MathCAD or similiar software tools add value to the process by eliminating the requirement of endlessly entering numbers into a calculator during your problem analysis work (you can always just practice the use of a calculator just before a test for speed-finger-muscle-memory - but why waste the whole semester on that tedium?). Having very good "problem-solving notes" is like an "applied summary" of nearly everything important you need to know to do well on a science, engineering, or mathematics exam. It's also a good reference for down the road when you revisit the material for further applications. Spend 20% of your time reading your class notes as an introduction to the material (or review before a test), but spend 150% of your time banging out well-documented and neatly organized problem solutions. Then see how much time you have left over at the end of your course to type-set your class-notes! Probably none if you have a full course load; and you'll be happy that you instead are well-prepared for your final exams :o) Cheers and Enjoy your Learning Adventure!