CAS Note Taking Support

Types of Note Taking Support

Recording Devices-- Recommended for In-Person Courses

Recording devices are physical voice recorders or voice recording apps that can be accessed via cellular phone.  Only the student approved for the use of the recording device, by the Center for Accessibility Services, should be recording the lecture. Recording devices should only be used to record lecture-based class meetings. Recording devices should be paused or stopped if material of a personal nature may be shared. Students may not share the recording with any other individual and must destroy all recordings after the course has ended.

The Center for Accessibility Services has a limited number of voice recorders available for check out. Please contact casnotes@radford.edu if you would like to check out a recorder from the Center for Accessibility Services.

Livescribe Pens— Recommended for In-Person Courses

 Livescribe pens are assistive technology devices that record audio and connect time-stamped audio to any handwritten notes taken on the special Livescribe “dot” paper. Students using Livescribe Pens may take as many or as few notes as they wish—all audio will be recorded once the device has been turned on and has indicated that it is recording.

If your Access Specialist has recommended the use of a Livescribe Pen, please contact casnotes@radford.edu for training.

Glean—May be Used for In-Person or Online Courses

Glean is a computer-based program that allows a student to record audio and annotate any recorded information. For example, a student might mark one section of the lecture as “Important” and another section as “Question.” The student may choose to add notes to the recording as it is occurring.

Zoom Auto Captioning and Transcription—Used for Online Courses Hosted via Zoom

While auto-captioning is not a substitute for real-time transcription services or an ASL interpreter, the use of the captioning and transcription tools in Zoom may provide adequate note taking support. If the host of the Zoom meeting has enabled autocaptions, a transcript of the transcribed audio may be accessed by clicking the small arrow next to the CC button on the Zoom toolbar and selecting “View full transcript.” If the host has enabled the capability to save the transcript, the student will have the option to save the unedited transcript prior to the ending of the meeting.

Instructors may choose to edit Zoom transcripts and make them available to the class, but are not required to do so.

Otter AI: In Person or Online Courses

Otter AI is an automated speech to text transcription tool that will record and transcribe audio. The transcript can be edited for clarity and searched for phrases or words.

Peer Note Taking

Peer Note Taking is, typically, reserved for students who cannot take notes by any of the other means outlined above due to physical limitation or the structure of the course. Peer Note Taking is a volunteer student position. While Peer Note Takers are asked to attend class regularly and take clear, detailed notes, the Center for Accessibility Services staff cannot require a student to attend class or upload notes.

Peer Note Taking is not a substitute for attending class.

Expectations for Checking Out Equipment from the Center for Accessibility Services

Any physical technology checked out from the Center must be returned to the Center for Accessibility Services at the conclusion of each semester—December 15 (Fall) or May 15 (Spring). Any technology not returned to the Center for Accessibility Services will be assumed lost. A hold may be placed on the student’s request for official transcripts until the device is returned or the department is reimbursed for the cost of the technology.