The document provides guidance on note taking and test taking skills for a BUS 301 course. It discusses the importance of note taking, outlining the observe, record, review method. Key aspects of effective note taking include preparing for lectures, focusing during class, and reviewing notes within 24 hours. The document also reviews best practices for preparing for and taking tests, such as predicting test questions, using study groups, and managing test anxiety. Real-world applications of these skills include certification exams, performance reviews, and meetings.
2. Note and Test Taking as
Skills
• What kind of skills are represented by note taking
and test taking?
• Professional/real world applications?
• Why should you care? Now? In the future?
3. Note Taking
Observe
Record
Review
Not a passive exercise!
4. • Complete outside reading
first
• Bring tools
• Think about what you
expect from the lecture
• Focus
• Debate (at the right time)
• Don’t judge style…judge
substance!
• Think about what you hear
• Look for clues (instructor
interest, repetition, “make
sense?”
5. Record/Transcribe
• Format and structure are
more important that writing
or typing speed
• List keywords that matter
• Only use
sentences/paragraphs
when you are confused
• Record in notes where
you got lost
• Audio or video recordings
are risky
6. Review
• Review and edit within
24 hours---this is key!
• Great study group
activity
• Fill in keyword
• Go back to textbook to fill
in parts that you are
confused about
• Tutoring center follow up
if needed
• Professor office hours
7. Meeting with your
instructor
• Don’t flake!
• Ask about ways to prepare for
exams or complete
assignments
• Discuss the major or other
classes in the area
• Do not waste time!
• Do not offend…think about
what you say before you say
it.
• Use professor meetings as
training for important client
meetings or meetings with
your manager
8. Observe, record, rev
iew at work
• Be prepared
• May be required
(ethically, legally!)
• Penmanship counts
• Use the agenda as a
roadmap
• Capture what is agreed
upon
• Record actions and who
will execute them
9. Test Taking
• Before the test
• During the test
• After the test
• Test Anxiety
• Real world application?
Certification
New employee program
Performance reviews
11. Predict Test Questions
Use your notes, readings, quizzes, instructor interest
and cute to predict what will be on exams. Ask clearly
during class or office hours what material you will be
tested on if in doubt.
12. Study Groups
Improve chances of succeeding on exams
Use the group to predict questions
Quiz each other on concepts
13. During the Test
Let go of anxiety…it will only hurt you
Detach and step back from the situation; Look at it objectively!
Read questions closely, carefully and attentively.
14. Prepare for the kind of test you will have
Different ways to prepare and study for essay, exam, T/F, multiple choice
etc.
Review textbook on this, google, or take a test taking workshop at the
tutorial center
15. Exercise
Take notes on the following 20 minute
lecture…
Predict at least 3 quiz questions based upon
instructor cues!
16. Do your notes look like
this?
• Databases for business literature research
• Two that are used: ABI Inform Global and Business Source Premier
• Contain newspapers, magazines, industry publications and scholarly
articles
• The information is vetted and credible as well as authoritative
• Access from library website www.calstatela.edu/library
• Click articles and databases tab
• Select the database from the pull-down menu
• Databases can be of two types keyword or relational/statistical
• ABI inform global is relational; Business Source is keyword
• Different results; Keyword looks for every hit of the words you end;
Relational/statistical matches what it thinks are the best
17. Note’s continued
• Key word databases require you to join your search words or
ters with connectors (AND, OR); if you type in a long list of
words it will look for that exactly
• Tools that make databases useful include limiting by
date, conducting relevance rank, limiting to specific kinds of
information like scholarly articles
• Scholarly means an article that builds upon the existing
knowledge in a field that is written by an expert with a full set
of references; Look for info about author (degree, affilaition
and references)
18. Did you Predict any of these Test
Questions?
• What two databases are used for business literature
research?
• How are they different from Google?
• What is a keyword database?
• What is a relational/statistical database?
• Why are library databases useful?
• What is a scholarly article?
• How do you identify a scholarly article?