Notetaking Accommodation Guide

• Standard Recruitment Announcement
• Signing Up to Be a Notetaker
• Posting Notes in AIM
• How to Access Notes in AIM
• What Do Effective Notes Look Like?

Standard Recruitment Announcement

Access and Accommodation Services (AAS) is looking for volunteer note-takers for several courses this semester—including this one! While the position is unpaid, your volunteer hours can count toward service requirements for student organizations, scholarships, and more. Our staff are also happy to write recommendation letters for note-takers who are reliable, effective, and consistent.

Each semester, we choose up to five volunteers to receive a special discount on textbooks and merchandise from Textbook Brokers as a thank-you for their help. It’s a great way to support your fellow students, build your résumé, and get involved on campus.

If you or someone you know is interested or wants to learn more, please reach out to Kathryn Taylor in the Access and Accommodation Services office—we’d love to have you join us!

Email: kattaylor@astate.edu
Phone: (870) 972-3964

Signing Up to Be a Notetaker

Volunteers must be enrolled in the same class as the student who requires notes. Once you are matched with a student in our system, you will receive an email notifying you of a new notetaking assignment. You can then log into your AIM account and begin uploading your notes.

The receiving student will download the notes directly from AIM. This process is designed to protect the privacy of both the volunteer and the student receiving notes.

How to Sign-Up

• Log into AIM. The link can be found on the AAS webpage and in Pack Portal under Campus Tools. You will use your A-State email and password.
• Complete and submit the Notetaking Volunteer Application.

Volunteer Responsibilities

• Attend class on a regular basis and take comprehensive, legible notes. Comprehensive notes are more than simply posting the PowerPoint slides that have no additional notes beyond what the professor provided in the slides. If you are unsure if your notes are adequate, please review the What do Effective Notes Look Like? section of this document.
• Post notes to your AIM account with AAS no less than twice a week. If you do not know how to post notes in AIM, please see the How to Post Notes to AIM section of this document or contact our office.

The AAS student receiving note-taking accommodations should remain anonymous to you. If you learn who the student is, please keep their information private.

If at any point you are unable to continue volunteering, please notify the AAS office immediately so we can arrange an alternative.

After Submitting the Application

• On the left side of your screen, you should see different tabs. Click on the Notetaker tab. If you do not see this tab, you may need to log out, then log in again for the change to take place.
• Under Add Courses you should see small boxes. In those boxes, enter the CRN for each class you want to take notes for.
  • If you do not know the CRN for your course(s), you can find them on your class schedule.
• Click submit, then type in your name to sign the contract.
• Check the boxes that appear beside your classes and change internship to volunteer hours. Then click submit, and you are done!

Posting Notes in AIM

• Log into AIM. The link can be found on the AAS webpage, and in Pack Portal under Campus Tools. You will use your A-State email and password.
• On the left side of your screen, you should see different tabs. Click on the Notetaker
  • You should see all the classes you have agreed to take notes for.
  • Any classes you have been assigned to will say assigned next to it as well as view.
• Click view for the class you want to upload notes to.
• Select the appropriate file and upload.
  • You will need to give the notes a title for them to be submitted.
  • If you hand-write your notes, you can:
    • Take clear, readable photos of the notes.
    • Use a scanning app like Genius.
    • Bring hand-written notes by the AAS office, and we can scan and upload them for you.

Be consistent and upload no less than twice a week!

How to Access Notes in AIM

• Log into AIM. The link can be found on the AAS webpage, and in Pack Portal under Campus Tools. You will use your A-State email and password.
• Once signed in you will see your AIM account. In the bottom left corner, you should see a section titled Accommodations.
  • Under that section should be a tab labeled Notetaking Services. Click on that and you will see any available notes, any notetakers assigned and the total of services requested.
  • If notes have been uploaded, the words view notes will be underneath the Available Notes section. Click View Notes to see the notes. From here you can download and/or print the notes.

What Do Effective Notes Look Like?

• The course name and date on the first page of your notes.
• The page number on the bottom right of each page helps the student order and organize your notes. For example, if you have four pages of notes, you will label your pages (1 of 4), (2 of 4), and so on.
  • One suggestion is to use the Cornell Method.
• Provide notes in accessible formats. The preferred method is a Word document that has been run through the accessibility checker.
• Include any assignment directions or reminders given in class. This includes reminders about quizzes, exams, reviews, and changes to the course schedule. These are very important for students navigating the class.
• Share your notes as soon as possible after class so that the AAS student has access to the materials. If you are unable to share immediately, please do your best to share within 24 hours of the class so the student can study and review in a timely manner.
• Take accurate and clear notes. Many volunteer note-takers feel a lot of pressure to be perfect when taking notes, but the most important things are consistency, accuracy, and reliability.