How online note-sharing communities at universities are empowering the next female leaders

As learning shifted digitally, tablets and computers have become the go-to place for accessing classes and taking notes. Digital note-taking platforms have since risen to meet increasing demands for convenience, including streamlined collaboration.

In the case of the note-taking app GoodNotes, they have expanded their services from note-taking to note-sharing — enabling students from around the globe to share self-made study materials through the GoodNotes Community.

The idea for GoodNotes came from founder Steven Chan’s frustration with taking legible and organised notes on his iPad when he was a maths undergraduate student in Australia. This note-sharing platform, along with many others, aims to ease the inefficiencies and difficulties of studying alone during remote learning.

College and medical students benefit from these platforms, particularly those from less privileged backgrounds, such as student mothers.

Our article Structural barriers remain for women who want to pursue higher education reported how women already face challenges with masculine hegemony and patriarchy in the higher education system, with problems only exacerbated for studying mothers. With the support of online communities, women can better overcome study difficulties and succeed in their education.

In this article, we look at ways online note-sharing communities can help empower the next female leaders.

Uplift each other

While progress in many workspaces stems from healthy competition, success in university can come from uplifting others.

A culture of support is especially important for women, who may face harmful practices that hinder quality learning. Online note-sharing community Studocu aims to empower students to excel in their studies by providing the most efficient tools to help them improve.

There are more than 12.5 million Studocu users worldwide sharing study resources, with many coming from top Australian institutions like the Australian National University and the University of Sydney.

Their efforts help others not only view and download suitable study materials but enable them to use practice sets like a definition list and flashcards, allowing students to improve their academic performance together.

In addition to studies, people can work together towards making their school environment more welcoming.

Communities can work towards becoming safe spaces, allowing women to be more authentic and vulnerable while empowering them through various information, activities, and integrated services. This allows them to navigate any intricacies of the university and close gender gaps.

Boost engagement and understanding

In some instances, students are not only sharing notes after their classes but are also engaging in live collaborative notes.

This form of note-taking enables students to split workloads, engaging them as they plan, communicate expectations and responsibilities, and contribute to their tasks — qualities desirable in women leaders.

As found in a study within the journal Educational Technology Research and Development, splitting the note-taking work improved levels of understanding as well as lower confusion, as students had more opportunities to digest information.

Furthermore, some supporting studies highlight how notes were more complete as more other students can cover for any missed concepts. Through collaborative note-taking, women can build desirable leadership values while benefiting from better academic understanding.

Learn and share knowledge and perspectives

Education is the primary way women can become leaders as they have better access to different learning opportunities.

Knowledge building is not only limited to university classrooms but can also expand to online note-sharing communities. From these platforms, women can access topics in different areas — even those beyond their current course offerings and learn various topics from literature to STEM subjects.

On the other hand, they can also share their own perspectives, helping raise awareness of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Through the open platform, women can give and take ideas that can foster a stronger, inclusive community.

This article was written by Helen Rowse.