Written by Gemma Russell. Assistive Technology Adviser, Disability Services.
Assistive technology is essential for some students to succeed in their studies, whilst for others the use of a technology allows them to become more confident and organised in their learning.
Glean is a cloud-based audio notetaker, allowing audio recording of lectures both in-person, as well as online. You are able to download the lecture’s PowerPoint and align the audio with the correct slide. By tagging important parts of the audio, it allows you to save time when you come back to review your notes – you can head straight to the sections you need to. If you feel confident you can even type your own notes which are then aligned with the PowerPoint slide. The slides and notes you have typed can then be exported into a Word document to create a set of revision notes.
As it is cloud based, you can access the software on tablets, laptops, your phone or networked library computers, meaning you have recordings of lectures on the go, anywhere.
Quote from a student: “Glean has been super helpful for me so far – I only got access to it about two weeks ago but it has been invaluable for zoom and similar online lectures. Although it doesn’t transcribe, I find it great as I am able to go back over what was said and align it with my notes much more accurately, saving me a load of time”
To acquire a licence, you will need to contact: library-support@bristol.ac.uk
For more information and training on how to use Glean visit: Technology for learning | Library | University of Bristol
Where to find information on Disability Services at the University