Organizing Notes for Engineering Students

Introduction

• Importance of having a good system for storing and organizing notes.
• Using OneNote and a desktop filing system can save time and prevent loss of important notes.

OneNote Overview

• OneNote: A note-taking app that's part of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Organization Structure:
  • Notebooks: Top layer of organization.
  • Sections: Inside notebooks.
  • Pages: Within sections; place for writing and storing information.
• Features:
  • Boundaryless pages allow for text, drawings, images, PDFs, etc.
  • Notes saved in the cloud via OneDrive for access across devices.

Organizing Notes in OneNote

• Semester Setup:
  • Create a new notebook for each semester labeled with 'sem 1' or 'sem 2' and the year.
• Sections:
  • Create a new section for each course using course code and name.
  • Course codes help quickly find information for tests and assignments.
• Pages:
  • Create new pages for lectures, tutorials, labs, assignments, and quizzes weekly.
  • Naming convention: Week (e.g., W1), type of class (e.g., L1 for lecture), keywords about class content.
  • Helps in quickly identifying study material for tests.
• Assessment Page:
  • Top of each section with a screenshot of the course assessment list.
  • Track grades and calculate needed scores for future assessments.

Desktop Folder Structure

• Framework Folder:
  • Copy and paste each semester to save time.
• Main Folder:
  • Named 'sem 1' or 'sem 2' and year.
• Course Folders:
  • Named with course code and name.
• Subfolders:
  • Lectures: Weekly folders for lecture slides.
  • Tutorials and Labs: Similar week-by-week setup.
  • Assessment: Folders for assignments and quizzes.
  • Resources: Subfolders for textbooks and additional materials.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to implement a similar system for efficiency.
• Benefits continue beyond university into professional life.
• Additional resources for note-taking and study tips offered in other videos.