Taking notes is a common strategy among higher education students, and has been found to affect their academic performance. Nowadays, however, the use of computers is replacing the traditional pencil-and-paper methodology. The present study aims to identify the advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of computer (typing) and pencil-and-paper (handwriting) for taking notes by college students. A total of 251 social and health science students participated in the study. Two experimental conditions were chosen: taking notes by hand (n=211), and taking notes by computer (n=40). Those that used computer-written notes performed better on tasks based on reproducing the alphabet, writing sentences, and recognizing words (p<.05). However, those using handwritten notes performed better on free recall tasks (p<.05). Differences between the two conditions were statistically significant rejecting the hypothesis of equality between groups (X2=60.98; p<.0001). In addition, the discriminant analysis confirmed that 77.3% of students were correctly classified by the experimental conditions. Although the computer allowed for greater velocity when taking notes, handwriting enhanced students’ grades when performing memory tasks. La toma de apuntes es una estrategia generalizada del alumnado de Educación Superior y se ha constatado su influencia en el rendimiento académico. El uso del ordenador está desplazando al método tradicional de lápiz y papel. El presente estudio pretende arrojar luz sobre las ventajas y los inconvenientes derivados del uso de uno u otro método en la toma de apuntes en las aulas universitarias. Un total de 251 estudiantes universitarios de ciencias sociales y ciencias de la salud participaron en el estudio. Se plantearon dos condiciones experimentales: toma de notas de forma manual (n=211) y de manera electrónica (n=40). Se hallaron diferencias a favor del grupo que usó el ordenador en las tareas basadas en completar el abecedario, escribir frases y reconocer palabras anotadas previamente (p<.05). Sin embargo, en la tarea de recuerdo libre los resultados reflejaron un mejor desempeño del grupo que tomó notas manualmente (p<.05). Se rechazó la hipótesis de igualdad entre los grupos (X2=60,98; p<.0001). Además, el análisis discriminante confirmó que el 77,3% de los alumnos fueron clasificados correctamente según su condición experimental. El uso del ordenador resultó muy útil cuando se trataba de anotar datos con rapidez; sin embargo, en las tareas de recuerdo los alumnos de escritura manual obtuvieron mejores puntuaciones que los de escritura electrónica.

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A lesson in a psychology course given to university students is presented, using the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach. A total of 78 psychology freshmen college students participated in this experiment. All participants received four lessons in a regular university class. The lessons were about general concepts on psychological disorders. The lessons were taught in English. Different quantitative and qualitative aspects of content acquisition were assessed. In addition, attitudes about and motivation to participate in this bilingual learning practice at the university were evaluated. Results showed a high level of approval and motivation for this methodology, along with a significant assimilation of the content taught. In conclusion, intensifying interaction and diversifying of linguistic skills, as well as adjusting the lecturing time to match the students’ learning capacity and the professor’s second language proficiency, could potentially improve this CLIL experience.

La prevalencia de problemas psicológicos puede tener efectos negativos directos e indirectos en el desarrollo personal y académico de los estudiantes universitarios. A partir de una muestra de 43 participantes atendidos en el