Written by Emma Yi Kwan Lau
There are numerous note-taking methods that we can adopt, one of which is known as Focussed Question Clusters Method, proposed by Cal Newport. It works by using our existing lecture notes to write questions to quiz ourselves to prepare us for MCQ-style exams. In this blog I want to propose using Xerte as a tool for Focussed Question Clusters note-taking method! Xerte is a free tool that the University provides to staff and students, allowing us to create our own learning materials. It may appear to be a bit complicated to use to start with. However, the University has a step-by-step guidance called the Xerte Crash Course.
Using Xerte for the Focussed Question Clusters method can significantly enhance revision effectiveness. This method encourages retrieval practice – actively bringing back knowledge from your memory. The benefits of retrieval practice are vast and using Xerte to create interactive quizzes and materials can make this process even more engaging and effective. The flow chart below (source: learningscientist.org) further elaborates on the concept and benefits of retrieval practice.
Not only is Xerte a powerful revision tool, but it is also a handy tool for notes organisation which can be very tricky when dealing with a vast amount of content. I often want to include as much content as possible in our lecture notes as I worry about being tested on a random piece of information extracted from the lecture slide. This, however, can make revision during the exam season even more challenging as it may not be clear which parts of the notes are important. Organising our notes throughout the academic year allows us to have condensed content with quizzes and make your revision far more efficient and effective.
Xerte allows us to create an interactive book for revision. For each new page, we select from one of the nine functions, as demonstrated below, from the drop-down menu. Amongst all the functions, I personally found interactive tools the most useful:
- Quiz – it is very useful for creating a database of questions that I answered wrong in my first attempt. For example, as illustrated from the screenshot below, I created a quiz with all questions that I found challenging in preparation for the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam. I can also provide feedback for each option to establish better understanding on the topic, as illustrated in the second screenshot.
- Answer X of Y – creating short answer question using different bullet points.
- Categories – matching answers with corresponding heading.
- Hotspot image – can be useful for anatomy revisions, it allows you to label an image with explanations.
- Hotspot question – similar to the hotspot image but requires selecting one or multiple hotspots on an image.
- Annotated diagram – requires selecting the appropriate labels to identify the relevant structures.
- Drag and drop labelling – pairing the appropriate option to the labelled area in the image.
- Multiple choice questions – same as Quiz but each question appears on a separate page.
- Timeline/ matching pairs – creating a timeline of events or a matching activity.
In addition to the interactivity functions, there are also a number of game features. The features include Hangman, crossword, word search and memory game. They can be useful for creating mini games for our revision.
As you can imagine, all of the above functions can make revision so much more fun! I started using Xerte now to create my own content based on the teaching materials lecturers provided. I find it a lot easier to engage with long lecture materials. I will recommend all of you to give Xerte a go! The top tip to achieve effective learning is to use our own initiative to create own content!
Useful resources:
Xerte Crash Course (interactive video)
Focused Question Clusters: Learning through Questions – E-Student
Concept Map: What Does Retrieval Practice Do? — The Learning Scientists