Why Handwriting Notes is More Effective for Learning Than Typing Notes

BACK TO SCHOOL SERIES: Issue 2

Laptops in the lecture hall have become ubiquitous over the last 20 years. The ability to capture information quickly and efficiently has made them a student staple, while pulling out a notebook seems antiquated and ineffective. Yet, a growing body of research suggests that those people scribbling away and struggling to keep up may be on to something when it comes to actually understanding and remembering what they learn.

A Closer Look at the Research

The most cited study on the topic of writing versus typing notes comes from psychologists Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer back in 2014(1). They found that students who typed took more notes and captured more content word-for-word, but when tested later with conceptual questions, the handwritten notetakers performed significantly better.

Follow up studies and meta-analyses of the research have largely borne this finding out. A 2024 meta-analysis by Flanagan et al.(2) found a small but statistically reliable advantage for those taking notes by hand, particularly on tasks that require synthesising information rather than just regurgitating facts.

What Explains the Difference?

In short, handwriting is slower. Students cannot record every word, so they’re forced to listen, decide what points matter, and put them into their own words. They have to mentally process the information:

• The ‘Generation Effect’ - Information that is actively generated or transformed sticks better than information that is passively copied. Paraphrasing a lecture point in your own handwriting creates your own version of that idea which is far more powerful for learning than simply recording information word-for-word.
• Motor Memory and the Brain – Handwriting uses fine motor control which seems to engage regions of the brain involved in reading and language processing that repetitive and uniform typing does not. 
• Making Connections – Actively thinking about the subject at hand at a slower pace, encourages students to make their own connections and notice relationships between concepts in real time – all practices that engage understanding rather than just memory.
• Drawing Diagrams – Often students that are pushed to get everything down by hand will make use of visually demonstrating the concept through diagrams like flow charts or timelines. Transmuting and summarising information in this way helps to embed the concept or subject fully.

It’s clear that while typing certainly has the advantage in terms of speed, more notes don’t necessarily mean more learning because the typing process is often so passive.

What Does This Mean for Note-Taking?

Many students won’t want to be packing their laptops away just yet, but there are a few practical steps you can take to get the best of both worlds:

• Handwrite notes in lectures – or when reading, especially for more complicated concepts or subjects
• Type when you need speed – such as when you need to get a lot of information down in a short time or when you’ll need to reference it later
• Paraphrase while typing – ask yourself what the point of the sentence is and write it in your own words rather than just transcribing word-for-word
• Use handwriting for review or revision – rewrite key concepts by hand when revising, making handwritten flash cards is a particularly effective study method
• Invest in RHINO’s Cornell Exercise Books – designed for clear, organised note-taking, the Cornell layout splits the page into a right-hand column for core notes and a left-hand dotted grid for keywords, diagrams, and lists, with a summary area at the foot of each page. Perfect for writing notes in a way that helps you learn!

Visit RHINO Stationery for all the paper stationery you’ll need to get off to a flying start at university or college.

REFERENCES

1. Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168.
2. Flanigan, E., Wheeler, J., Colliot, T., Lu, J. and Kiewra, K.A. (2024). Typed Versus Handwritten Lecture Notes and College Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36 - 78