Recording Lectures

<p>Do any of you tape record your lectures? </p>

<p>I have seen many people using tape recorders, but none of them have asked permission. Do you actually ask the teacher permission to do so?</p>

<p>If you're going to listen to the lectures anyway, why not just go to class? That way you get to see the board too.</p>

<p>I think that you can do it as long as the recorder is in plain sight.</p>

<p>most schools require you to ask profs for permission prior to recording, but frankly, if you take good notes, it'll serve you better than trying to listen to a recording!</p>

<p>I've never seen a student ask a prof for permission, but at the same time, none of the profs I've seen mind.</p>

<p>That said, recording is a waste of time; listen well and take good notes the first time around. I know that, I for one, would never have time to listen to lectures in my free time and have any time left over to do other work.</p>

<p>It depends on how you learn. I'm the kind of student that finds it incredibly hard to sit through 50 minutes or longer and absorb all the material. I record lectures but I usually don't listen to all of it. I just go back to parts where I might have dozed off in class.
Professors don't mind.</p>

<p>I do plan on still going to class, but I thought that recording the lectures and then transferring them to a CD/iPod would help me study while I'm driving or running.</p>

<p>That sounds ideal but trust me it is harder than you think. Focus on driving while you drive and just run when you run. Classwork shouldn't consume your life....unless your pre-med that is and like I said it isn't necessary to listen to a lecture in its entirety.</p>

<p>just remember that as you get into upper level (read: smaller) classes, if professors notice you don't seem to be listening or you miss something and they ask you a question, it could dramatically lower their view of you (especially if it's their only interaction with you), which could prevent them from giving you the benefit of the doubt when grading or hurt your chances at a good letter of recommendation should you need it later on.
Being able to stay focused for long periods of time is an essential skill to learn for the workforce. That you <em>need</em> to record lectures because you're dosing off on them sounds a bit worrisome.</p>

<p>I wouldn't be recording them because of a reason such as falling asleep. I just think it would be nice to be able to go back to a certain part of the lecture and hear something again or be able to go back and take more complete notes (I'm a super slow writer!). It would be like a supplement to the lecture and would not replace paying attention or attending.</p>

<p>OKgirl, you need to learn to take better notes. The first step is to read the material ahead of time; in every class you will get a syllabus so you know what to read. If you go in prepared then the lecture will be extending past what you've learned and clarifying things from the text(s). There are sites with more info such as <a href="http://www.stthomas.edu/academicsupport/helpful_study_skills_links.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.stthomas.edu/academicsupport/helpful_study_skills_links.htm&lt;/a>, and there are also books on study skills. One I highly recommend is called What Smart Students Know and is written by a cofounder of the Princeton Review Test Prep Service. </p>

<p>You may be a super-slow writer, or whatever. You can improve. College isn't just about exercising skills you've already mastered, its about improving your knowledge and skills. Consider note-taking one you already know you need to work on.</p>

<p>Tape recording lectures is a crutch, and one that won't serve you well over the longer run. What if you go to grad school? You're not going to find many profs allowing you to record lectures. Nor will you if you take seminars or smaller classes in undergrad. Finally, you will be out in the working world for many more years than you spend in college; NOBDODY records meetings unless they're in a courtroom. They take notes.</p>