{"id":234,"date":"2026-10-12T07:00:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/learning-well\/?p=234"},"modified":"2026-10-12T22:25:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T21:25:07","slug":"how-to-get-the-most-from-in-class-learning-ways-to-achieve-this-effectively-efficiently-and-sustainably","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/learning-well\/2026\/10\/12\/how-to-get-the-most-from-in-class-learning-ways-to-achieve-this-effectively-efficiently-and-sustainably\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get the most from lectures: Ways to achieve this effectively, efficiently and sustainably"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Dr Sue Sing, Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s talk lectures (and in-class learning, generally)! How do you feel your study strategies in these settings have been going? Are they working well? Could you benefit from a little help? In this blogpost, we\u2019ll explore the lived experiences of your Imperial peers (based on empirical data collected for the Imperial Learning Well Project<\/a>), their reflections and the strategies they found enabled them to make effective, efficient and sustainable progress in class-based settings.<\/p>\n

\"\"The issue(s): Why \u2018learning well\u2019 in lectures can be tricky…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start by sharing the sorts of dilemmas students told us they face. Beyond academic content being difficult, they spoke primarily about two other inter-related challenges: 1)<\/strong> struggles with capturing the amount of information covered in lectures, and 2)<\/strong> the impact this had on their ability to engage with, and understand, that content. Typically, students such as Sufeanna and Pagie (below) tried to note down everything being said\u2026 but often quickly realised that this was neither sustainable nor helpful:<\/p>\n

\u2026 I figured out that if I am trying to write down everything that the lecturer is saying, I’m actually not paying full attention and I’m just trying to keep up, which was quite unproductive for me because then I had no idea what we were doing – Sufeanna, Y2 Physics<\/p>\n

\u2026 If you\u2019re too focused on taking notes, then you’re actually not understanding what the lecturer\u2019s trying to say. You’re just writing word by word instead of understanding the content\u2026 – Pagie, Y1 Engineering<\/p>\n

Five (possible) solutions: Some tried-and-tested strategies! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out the most common strategies shared by Imperial students*<\/strong><\/span> to support their in-class learning (*<\/strong><\/span>who were studying a range of subjects and were at different stages in their degree).<\/p>\n

\"\"1. Personalised note-taking:<\/strong> Record the information you need, in ways that make sense to you<\/span><\/p>\n

In lectures, \u2018content capture\u2019 is often a priority \u2013 but, what information did students focus on? And why? The short answer to both questions is: this varied! This is because individuals selected the details they felt were important to them \u2013 and what stands out for one person may differ for someone else. Responses also highlighted that there is no one \u2018right or best\u2019 way to record this information: it\u2019s about doing this in ways that are meaningful for you.<\/p>\n

Students found one or more of following strategies particularly effective:<\/strong><\/span> annotating lecture slides; writing notes in your own words (rather than verbatim); converting information into revision questions; using colour-coding to highlight main points. These could be done digitally, or by hand \u2013 whichever works best for you. The quotes below offer insights into the strategies used by some students:<\/p>\n

\u2026my main strategy [in class] is taking down the big ideas<\/strong>, the key concept of what’s going on the lecture.<\/span> I don’t really focus on the small details. I prefer to do that at home\u2026 – Julisssa, Y3 Engineering<\/p>\n

When it comes to learning from lectures, my technique would typically be just jot down key information<\/strong> and the things that would help me understand as much as I can in the moment<\/span> – Aasir, Y3 Life Sciences<\/p>\n

\u2026 if the lecturer says something that is not in the lecture notes<\/span>, then I write it on the notes, and whatever is in the notes that the lecturer says, well, I don’t write it down because it’s already [there] – Ivantie, Y1 Physics<\/p>\n

\"\"2. Active listening:<\/strong> Understand what you can<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026if something\u2019s very complicated, I’ll stop taking notes to just focus – Xavier, Y2 Maths<\/p>\n

For some students, the sole or main objective is to focus on what\u2019s being said, i.e. do nothing (or mostly nothing) besides listen. In fact, doing anything else (even taking notes!) can be a distraction because often it results in doing neither thing well!<\/p>\n

\u2026 I tried to take notes in the beginning and it didn’t work because I would always fall behind. So I tried to just listen and take in as much as I can conceptually so that I understand it. And then I go home and take neater notes, maybe referring to a textbook – Sofia, Y1 Life Sciences<\/p>\n

\u2026 often in class I don’t actually write that much because I feel like if I do that then I would be directing my attention away from what’s actually happening\u2026 – Ping, Y3 Medicine<\/p>\n

\"\"3. \u2018Showing up\u2019: <\/strong>Attending classes (and only using Panopto recordings, if needed\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n

By now, you probably know that lecture recordings are available via Panopto. Maybe you\u2019ve already used them? Think about what you used them for and the extent to which this was a useful study strategy. Can recordings be an effective way to catch-up if you can\u2019t make class? \u2013 Yes! Can they be an efficient resource for checking details you missed or didn\u2019t understand? \u2013 Sure! Are they a sustainable approach to learning? \u2013 Our empirical evidence suggests perhaps not\u2026 Read about Jun and Sushmita\u2019s experiences below:<\/p>\n

\u2026for a one-hour lecture I ended up spending 3 hours just viewing it. Of course it’s not a good thing\u2026the better thing to do is definitely sit in the lecture theatre once [\u2018showing up\u2019]<\/span> and then read the notes, or read the notes before and understand it somehow [\u2018prep work\u2019]<\/span> and then try to sort out the things you don’t understand when you\u2019re at the lecture\u2026 – Jun, Y3 Physics<\/p>\n

In class, I’m actually paying more attention because there’s no other distractions whereas when I’m watching lectures online I can just take many, many breaks – Sushmita, Y4 Chemistry<\/p>\n

Additional benefits of attending in-person:<\/span> Students spotlighted sessions such as tutorials and problem classes because of their interactive, often collaborative, and practical nature. For example, these smaller class sizes (compared to lectures) offered more time and space to ask questions to staff and check or clarify understanding with peers. They were opportunities to apply the ideas covered in lectures. Students also described how much they enjoyed and benefitted from collaborative problem-solving tasks:<\/p>\n

I think one of the best in-person interactions we get is in our workshops because we\u2019re always doing questions and you’re discussing it with your peers\u2026also when they ask questions that you wouldn’t normally think of, I think that’s really useful – Tatha, Y1 Chemistry<\/p>\n

Tackling challenging problems with others can also make a task feel more manageable and less daunting. This collective approach draws together individuals\u2019 knowledge and understanding. In the research literature, this is called the \u2018Zone of Proximal Development<\/strong>\u2019 (Vygotsky, 1978), which is the gap between what you can do on your own and what you\u2019re able to achieve by working with others<\/strong>. Students studying Medicine (as well as students studying other disciplines) often found this was a valuable strategy because their learning involves a \u2018flipped\u2019 approach:<\/p>\n

\u2026 each question will take us about an hour and we work through those together\u2026often, I think everyone’s got something different to notice\u2026 it can be quite difficult to approach our coursework alone because it can be quite complex. People have different knowledge from looking in different textbooks and using different videos or notes… – Elenore, Y2 Medicine<\/p>\n

\u2026in tutorials, I quite like working out the answer myself but also discussing with others in the group\u2026what they think the answer is and kind of debating or just exploring different perspectives because sometimes there can be more than one correct answer – Katy, Y1 Medicine<\/p>\n

\"\"4. \u2018Prep work\u2019: <\/strong>Doing something is better than nothing<\/span><\/p>\n

By prepping for lectures, students found this helped them to engage better with the content being covered.<\/p>\n

Familiarity can breed the beginning of understanding!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Common activities included one or more of the following:<\/span> downloading lecture slides and<\/em> (quickly) reading them in advance; if needed, writing questions [\u2018personalised note-taking\u2019]<\/span> to ask during, at the end of, or after, lectures because awareness of what\u2019s coming up can help you identify any points of confusion to follow up on:<\/p>\n

\u2026[before attending lectures] I just scroll through the slides to get an idea of what they’ll be talking to us about and then in the lecture I just write down when I don’t understand things. So I’ll say \u2018ask this, ask that\u2019, that’s really helpful because afterwards I just go to the lecturer about these things\u2026 – Rikita, Y1 Medicine<\/p>\n

\u2026it’s important to read the lecture notes beforehand so that you grasp the idea of what the lecturer is going to say\u2026it helps you maintain focus during the lecture – Ivantie, Y1 Physics<\/p>\n

\u2026In a lecture it’s more learning what I need to learn. I’m not really capable of asking any questions, I’m not at that level of understanding [yet]. But if I’ve looked at the slides beforehand, I can use the lecture to make sure I do know it and I can ask questions – Astrid, Y2 Engineering<\/p>\n

\"\"5. Ask questions when you\u2019re there:<\/strong> Make the most of the moment!<\/span><\/p>\n

A final strategy to mention in this blogpost: taking\/making chances to ask questions, inadvertently draws together several strategies already highlighted. Sometimes, students came to class [\u2018showing up\u2019]<\/span> knowing the questions they wanted to ask because they\u2019d identified these through their \u2018prep work\u2019<\/span>; others wrote down questions in the session [\u2018active listening\u2019]<\/span> to ask during the lecture (if opportunity allows) or at the end. In all cases, students said they proactively sought out opportunities to ask questions so that they could leave the session with a clearer understanding:<\/p>\n

\u2026 being in lectures, it makes asking questions easier because you can ask more things in real time… I find that if you don’t ask questions when you have the chance and then you feel stuck, it can be very off-putting very quick – Aakil, Y1 Chemistry<\/p>\n

[beforehand] I would write questions to ask the lecturer because our lectures end ten minutes before the hour. I normally go to the front and ask the lecturer afterwards just to clarify any misunderstandings. It gives me a deeper appreciation for the topic\u2026 it helps a lot – Amisha, Y2 Engineering<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why not try out some or all of these strategies soon to start creating your own path to effective, efficient and sustainable learning.<\/strong> We\u2019d love to know how you get on!<\/p>\n

And, if you have different approaches that work for you, why not leave a comment below – it would be great to hear what works for you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr Sue Sing<\/strong> is a Research Associate in the Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship (CHERS) and was part of the Imperial Learning Well project team<\/a>. She continues to research Imperial students\u2019 learning and wellbeing and is currently co-leading the First Steps to Success Project involving over 200 Year 1 Imperial students.<\/p>\n

References & Useful Resources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978) Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.<\/em> Harvard University Press.<\/p>\n

\"\"ALSO:<\/strong> Why not check out the resources page<\/a> on the Imperial Learning Well Project website \u2013 here, you can find a range of materials that can support and enhance your study strategies while also maintaining positive wellbeing. These have been co-created with Imperial students for Imperial students<\/em>, based on empirical data exploring the lived experiences and tried-and-tested practices of your fellow students at this university.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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