Sketchnoting

as a study skill

How do I use these resources?

These resources are intended to be a Discussion Board within a fully online course, but they could easily be adapted to other modalities. In its original form, we copied the Assignment Details into a Discussion Board and added the grading rubric within the LMS (Canvas). Teaching materials can be found on the Faculty Materials page.

Read below for the Discussion Assignment and other Student Resources.

Assignment Details

Watch this video for an introduction to Sketchnoting as a study skill for college students.

In this assignment, you will be asked to create your own set of sketchnotes on a specific topic to share with the class to create a collective study guide for the course.

We are not looking for you to be Monet or Picasso. Do your best with what skills you have. We are most interested in the thinking that goes into them. Let that shine through the best way you can.

Based on the video, your sketchnotes should include:

  • Text: Recording the verbal is quick, direct, and clear and is usually your primary sketch noting tool. Capture the meaningful quotes and key points, and avoid trying to summarize everything.

  • Containers: Simply enclosing words in shapes brings emphasis and structure to an otherwise wild page. Some of the more common containers include (but are not limited to): quote bubbles, boxes, circles, and thought clouds.

  • Connectors: Connect ideas and pieces of stories with arrows and lines. A basic chain of thoughts can scintillate around the page and still be clear if they are linked with a simple set of connectors.

  • Structure: Some presenters will have a very obvious structure to their presentation, but oftentimes the insights may benefit from your own synthesis into an understandable underlying structure or model. Common frameworks include 2×2s, Venn diagrams, and continuums.

You can create your sketchnotes on paper and take a picture of the final product or use a digital drawing tool.

Here are some student examples:

As part of your initial post, please indicate what topic you chose to sketchnote. Take some time to evaluate your sketchnote experience. What are some advantages of using visuals in your notes? What are some drawbacks of sketchnoting? Was anything in your sketch particularly difficult? Then, respond to at least two of your peers by identifying elements that are particularly helpful in explaining their topic.

Grading will follow the attached rubric and how well you can tell the story. Remember sketchnotes are about ideas, not art!

I look forward to seeing your sketchnotes!