For some students, taking notes during lectures is incredibly stressful. Notetaking requires multitasking through listening to instructors, skimming PowerPoint slides, and jotting down key points.
This is difficult for students who fear missing verbal or written information. This struggle results in poor quality notes or none at all, which interferes with a student’s studying and overall academic success.
Luckily, McHenry County College students who are registered with the Access and Disability Services office have a powerful tool available to assist them with their notetaking needs.
Glean is an app available on mobile devices and computers that is specifically designed for notetaking. Some of its key features include recording lectures, importing slideshows, and taking quick notes with headings and labels, among others.
Accommodations Coordinator Jarrett Wolske said that the ADS office learned about Glean and its many features at a conference. Wolske also mentioned that they received funding from the college to purchase 100 licenses and pilot the accommodation.
“We thought Glean could be a helpful resource for students who want [or] need that type of assistive technology, specifically for taking notes and recording lectures,” Wolske said.
Of the 100 licenses available, 41 were issued for the Fall 2023 semester. Students who were eligible for any notetaking accommodations that semester filled out an interest form and, if approved, were granted a license.
“Students with the accommodations that Glean fulfilled were contacted and offered additional information about Glean,” Wolske said. “Since then, as new or returning students come to our office and are given those accommodations, they are notified about Glean.”
Since there are a limited number of licenses, some students may not receive this accommodation upon request. However, students can purchase licenses through Glean’s website for individual use. Taylor Runge is an MCC student, and while not a Glean user, believes that the app can be beneficial to those who struggle with taking notes in class.
“Glean’s app is very organized and can easily be accessed by students who struggle with taking notes in class because it is very easy to use,” Runge said. “As a source for taking notes, this app seems to be a great choice.”
One of Glean’s primary components is recording lectures, and with this comes multiple options for accessing recordings. Students can listen back to the audio and manipulate the playback to be faster or slower. Additionally, Glean allows recordings to be transcribed with the click of a button, no matter the length.
Glean’s recording feature gives students peace of mind knowing that they will not be missing any important information. With the recordings backed up through the app, students will never lose access to their recordings.
Wolske believes that Glean’s features are beneficial to students.
“The primary benefit of Glean is that it assists both students and instructors in implementing universal design for learning,” Wolske said. “Glean offers students multiple modes to access information that is given via lectures.”
Runge believes that all MCC students should be allowed to use the Glean app and states that she would use it if given the chance.
“It is very resourceful for organization of notes and is easy to use when students don’t want to write everything down,” Runge said. “It’s all a lot faster to type than write from scratch.”
Expanding the availability of Glean throughout MCC is a possibility, but doing so is dependent on user feedback. A survey was sent to the students who used the accommodation, with some students reporting they use the app in all their courses.
As of now, Glean is still in the piloting stage and remains funded by grants.
“The purpose of this pilot is to test Glean’s functionality and track data and use,” Wolske said. “[This] will help us gauge the potential for renewing our Glean licenses next year and determine the need for Glean to be used with a wider college audience in the future.”
Only time will tell if Glean’s popularity will grow in the student community. With its many benefits, it should be considered as an option for students who need assistance with notetaking. Taking notes does not need to be difficult. The ADS office offers many services to students regarding notetaking. Those who are struggling with it should reach out for help, regardless of whether they have approved accommodations through MCC.
For assistance or more information, visit the ADS page at https://www.mchenry.edu/access/index.html
