Notes are crucial to the success of a student in college, but present problems for students with disabilities.
The notetaker (usually an MDC student) is a paid employee of the college. They are assigned to take notes, “as if they were taking the course themselves.” Every effort is made to hire notetakers who have already taken the courses for which they are taking notes.
You can expect the notetaker to:
- be on time
- take complete and legible notes
- meet with you after class if s/he misses any information or needs clarification
- give you a copy of the notes (if you request them)
The notetaker is not a member of the class and therefore will not participate in class activities nor will s/he socialize with other students. The notetaker is only authorized to copy and distribute their notes to the instructor or to another disabled student (should there happen to be more than one disabled student in your class).
Should the student not attend class without prior notification, the notetakers have been instructed to wait 15 minutes, then they are free to leave. As a model of the “real world” — no note taking will be done until the student arrives.
If you have further questions regarding note-taking, please feel free to contact our office.