Instead of writing notes for a class period, encourage your students to take notes by drawing small pictures depicting the class material to help students distill the concepts.
Sketch-noting
| Individual / Group Activity: | Coming Soon! |
| Class Size: | Coming Soon! |
| Bloom’s Taxonomy Level: | Coming Soon! |
| Development Initial: | Coming Soon! |
| Minimum Time to Facilitate: | Coming Soon! |
| Minimum Time to Debrief: | Coming Soon! |
| PDFs: | Coming Soon! |
Discipline-Specific Examples 
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
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Humanities
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Social Sciences
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Co-Curricular
(experiences outside of the formal classroom but contribute to student learning)
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Universal Design for Active Learning
Universal Design for Active Learning
UDL and active learning share a common goal: centering all students in the learning experience. When designing an activity, UDL‑informed instructors consider how the activity could be open to all students while preserving the core learning goal.
Physical Considerations
Encourage but do not require sketching — some mobility conditions may make it difficult. Allow written or verbal descriptions as alternatives.
Timing & Pacing
Allow adequate time to sit with the concept before sketching. Translating abstraction to image requires reflection.
Social Interaction
Allow private sketching before sharing. Avoid requiring public display or explanation without preparation or choice.
Information Accessibility
Provide the concept or prompt in writing for reference while sketching or describing.
Ways to Participate/Express
Allow response by sketching, written description, verbal explanation, or directing a peer to sketch.
Online Adaptations
Coming Soon!
Additional Resources
Treptow, J. M. (2020). Sketchnoting as a Reading Strategy: Effects on Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Comprehension in a High School English Class (Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University): https://www.proquest.com/docview/2408552001?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Dissertations%20&%20Theses
Gansemer-Topf, A. M., Paepcke-Hjeltness, V., Russell, A. E., & Schiltz, J. (2021). “Drawing” your Own Conclusions: Sketchnoting as a Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Ecology. Innovative Higher Education, 46, 303-319: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10755-020-09542-6
Bratash, V. S., Riekhakaynen, E. I., & Petrova, T. E. (2020). Сreating and processing sketchnotes: a psycholinguistic study. Procedia Computer Science, 176, 2930-2939: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050920321128
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