Students who needed help taking notes attended a free workshop to help them improve their note-taking skills Wednesday.

The “Take Better Notes” workshop was conducted by Mark May, assistant director of the Learning Assistance Center.

May said a lot of students have difficulty listening when it comes to note-taking.

“There is a difference between listening and hearing,” he said. “When you hear something it can go in one ear and out the other. When you are listening you grasp an understanding of what was said.”

He said someone’s location in class and posture while sitting are factors that help overcome boredom.

“If you find yourself getting bored, pretend that you are obligated to be accurate of everything that you write down,” May said. “If you keep trying to stay focused, your attention span will grow.”

May said sufficient sleep is also a major component in good note-taking because someone cannot take good notes if they are tired.

Getting to know the instructor is also beneficial because a student then feels more responsible if his or her instructor is able to recognize them in class, May said.

He said students should listen for a pattern because most instructors lecture the same way everyday.

May said one style of lecturing is the question-answer style, which involves an instructor introducing a subject, asking questions about a subject and supplying details.

“You have to do something active with your notes in order to learn something from them in the long run,” May said.