Do Cornell Notes Still Matter—Even in the Age of AI and Digital Tools?

LinkedIn Article: June 24, 2025

Handwritten Notes - The Best Choice

In an era where AI-powered transcription tools like Otter.ai, reMarkable tablets, and digital notebooks promise to capture every word we hear, it’s fair to ask:

Do we still need to take notes by hand?

For students, especially those I teach, the answer is a resounding yes—particularly when using a time-tested method like Cornell Notes.

What Are Cornell Notes?

Developed at Cornell University in the 1940s by Walter Pauk, this method organizes notes into three sections:

• Cue Column for keywords and questions

• Note-taking Area for main ideas

• Summary Section at the bottom to synthesize learning

It’s more than a way to write things down—it’s a learning structure that actively promotes:

• Comprehension

• Critical thinking

• Long-term retention

The Science Backs It Up

A study by Mueller and Oppenheimer at Princeton (2014) found that students who take notes by hand outperform their laptop-using peers on conceptual questions. The reason? Handwriting promotes deeper thinking and active summarization, while typing tends to encourage word-for-word transcription without processing. As I often explained to my students, writing by hand requires the brain to process and reframe information in real time—leading to deeper understanding.

Even with today’s smart devices, the act of synthesis can’t be outsourced.

Why It Still Matters—Now More Than Ever

In an age of constant content overload, Cornell Notes teaches students to filter, prioritize, and reflect—skills that are critical for learning and for life. AI can transcribe, but it can’t determine what’s meaningful to you. Cornell Notes trains students to do just that.

As both a teacher and a lifelong learner, I’ve seen how this simple format helps students:

• Stay organized

• Engage with material at a deeper level

• Prepare more effectively for assessments

• Build metacognitive habits that last beyond the classroom

• Architectural students record in sketchbooks with specific details and annotations

• Engineering students utilize these skills in their engineering notebooks

Student Examples of Cornell Notes

A Timeless Tool in a Modern Toolkit

Cornell Notes isn’t about resisting technology. It’s about equipping students with frameworks that help them think critically in any environment—analog or digital.

As we continue integrating tools like reMarkable and AI into our workflows, let’s not forget to teach the fundamentals that support true learning.

Sometimes, the most powerful tools don’t come with a battery.

Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking,” Psychological Science 25, no. 6 (2014): 1159–68.