Notetaking Services

Notetaking Services are provided to students registered with the Accessible Education Center (AEC), whose disability impairment(s) prevent the student from taking notes during course lectures. In such circumstances, notetaking service accommodations, including audio-recording notetaking applications, are required by law, as they are designed to reduce disability-related barriers that impact a student's ability to take notes during class. However, students are still responsible for using academic skills and management strategies to learn the material.

AEC's Prescribed Audio-Notetaking Service, Glean, serves two purposes:

1. To provide students with access to lecture material, and
2. To help students develop their own skills and strategies for successful notetaking.

As such, AEC recommends and prescribes audio notetaking technology over peer notetakers. As an added benefit, learning to use new software/apps is a great way to prepare students for their future (after SJSU), and is a great tool for the workplace!

¹Glean

• Glean (parent company Sonocent) is primarily an audio notetaking software. However, it does allow students to use Glean as a note organizer. At SJSU the following features are active: 
  • 1. Audio record in person & zoom 
    2. Import PowerPoint Slides and OCR (optical character recognition)
    3. Import PDF and OCR
    4. Import images
    5. Import pre-recorded audio
    6. (Mobile App) Tak
    7. e image and import
    8. Transcribe audio into text
    9. Share audio with other Glean uses (only provided when need arises faculty are pre informed)
    10. Create tasks (reminders)
    11. Look up definitions on Wikipedia and post
    12. Set a focus timer
    13. Search
    14. Reading View

    
    Data Privacy: Glean is a "hosted solution," meaning the data in student accounts lives on the vendor's securely protected cloud-based storage systems instead of on SJSU's cloud-based storage system. Glean’s digital cloud-based storage has been vetted by the CSU and SJSU IT and is fully compliant with the CSU and SJSU IT security policies, as well as Accessibility (VPAT). SJSU IT Security completed a "security review matrix form" where the vendor submits one of the appropriate data security standards documents: Soc2, ISO 270xx, FedRAMP, HECVAT, or others. These standards are set to ensure the data is safe and secure - they are vetted/audited by an independent company (not Sonocent) and meet the CSU standards for data; including CSU General Provision for patent, copyright, and trade secret indemnity.

    Glean is cloud based and students can download the app directly onto a device. This is why the Glean is available on sites that allow for downloading. However, the recordings are either on the student's downloaded app or on the Glean cloud. They are not exported to other 3rd party vendors. In fact, access to those recordings is only available if AEC maintains a student's license active.

    
    

    Students Must Commit to Privacy: To use Glean, students must first attend a mandatory training and sign an agreement each semester. In the signed agreement, students commit that they will use Glean for their own educational use, not share or post on any site without the approval of AEC (faculty would be consulted).
    
    

    Other Concerns:
    The accommodation was intentionally designed to support faculty rights, but also Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Presidential Directive 97-03 and Academic Senate Policy AS-1106-79/FA.  AEC recognizes that there may be a limited set of circumstances where Glean may not be appropriate in the classroom (e.g., the course content is sensitive or an audio notetaking software may cause a fundamental alteration of course requirements). In those cases, faculty should notify AEC, and together an equally effective alternative may be identified.

    Instructors may not be familiar with Section 504 or ADA requirements regarding the use of an auxiliary or personal aid in their classrooms. Most often, questions arise when a student uses a tape recorder. University teachers may believe recording lectures is an infringement upon their own or other students' academic freedom, or constitutes copyright violation.

    The instructor may not forbid a student's use of an aid if that prohibition limits the student's participation in the school program. The Section 504 regulation states:

    A recipient may not impose upon handicapped students other rules, such as the prohibition of tape recorders in classrooms or of dog guides in campus buildings, that have the effect of limiting the participation of handicapped students in the recipient's education program or activity.

    Additionally, permitting a student to record a lecture would not be illegal. Section 78907 of the California Education Code California Code includes the following exception (emphasis added):

    The use by any person, including a student, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom without the prior consent of the instructor is prohibited, except as necessary to provide reasonable auxiliary aids and academic adjustments to disabled students. Any person, other than a student, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
    
    

    The use of Glean also aligns with faculty rights. The agreement signed by each student supports University policy S12-7:

    1. Glean is for the use of the lecture sections of class in SJSU classrooms/lecture halls. These locations are public University spaces.
    2. The Faculty Notification Letter provides faculty with a notice
    3. The audio recordings captured by the program are not disseminated and are solely for the use of the intended student
    4. Sharing of any portion of the recording would require consent from the AEC, who would enlist faculty feedback before providing approval
    
    
    

²Peer Notetaker

• A Peer Notetaker is a fellow classmate already enrolled in the class who volunteers to provide AEC a copy of their class notes. Peer Notetaking services are anonymous and confidential. The notes provided are: 
  • 1. from the perspective of what the notetaker deemed important for themself
    2. not required to followed a specific style of notetaking
    3. not edited or reformatted to meet the preference of the student receiving notes 
    4. not comprehensive
    5. uploaded into MyAEC up to 48 hours after the end of class

Students can visit the AEC's E-Agreements [pdf] to view student responsibility and  expectations while utilizing the Notetaking Services. 

Steps for using Notetaking Accommodations Flowchart  [pdf]

Application for Notetakers

Upload Notes- Current Notetakers

Notetaking - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Who is qualified to be my notetaker?

  • Notetakers must be matriculated students and enrolled in the same course you are requesting notes. Notetaking is a semester-long service provided through the last class session. Notetakers are required to complete the following AEC notetaking packet: Memorandum of Understanding/Confidentiality Policy and the Verification of Notetaking Services Rendered.

• If I have notetaking accommodations, how do I request them?

  • You would login on MyAEC and follow these steps:1. Select the class under “Step 1” and click “Step 2- Continue to Customize Your Accommodations” 

    2. Select the box “Notetaking Services” and click “Submit Your Accommodations Requests” 

    3. Return to the Overview page of MyAEC and on the left side under “My Accommodations” click “Notetaking Services”

    4. Click the blue link that states “Confirm Now” under each class that you want notetaking services for. 

    Peer Notetaking Flowchart [pdf]

• Does the notetaker know who the student is they are taking notes for?

  • Notetaking Service is confidential. Students receiving notes will not have knowledge of who the Notetaker is. Equally a Notetaker, will not have knowledge of the student(s) receiving the notes. However, if both AEC student, and notetaker wish to exchange contact information, both parties will need to contact aec-notetaking@sjsu.edu. The course instructor will be provided the Notetaker name when a Notetaker is selected.  

• Why does my instructor need to know the name of my notetaker?

  • The AEC notifies the instructor when a notetaker has been assigned for multiple reasons. The notification is sent to the instructor to notify them that the accommodation has been fulfilled, and that they no longer need to make an announcement to the class. Also, in a scenario where a course has strict policies against using a laptop in class and the student has an accommodation for typed notes or a policy against students “copying” lecture material, the instructor will know who is allowed to use their laptops and allow the notetaker to take notes. 

• How do I contact my notetaker if I want to remain anonymous?

  • You will have to contact aec-notetaking@sjsu.edu with the question or concern, and we will contact the notetaker for you.  

• Can I choose my notetaker?

  • If you have a classmate that you would like to be your notetaker, please email aec-notetaking@sjsu.edu with their full name and email. The AEC will then contact them with further instructions. 

• How are my notetaker(s) chosen?

  • Once you have confirmed your notetaking services on MyAEC, we will send an email to the entire class requesting a volunteer. If no students volunteer after the email has been sent, the AEC will ask the course instructor to make an announcement to the class. 

• How will I receive notes while AEC is recruiting  for a notetaker?

  • Notes will not be uploaded until a specific notetaker is assigned. If the assigned notetaker has notes from the beginning of the semester, the AEC will ask the notetaker to upload all the notes that they have when the notetaker is assigned. If you are concerned you will not receive notes, you can schedule to speak with a counselor for alternatives to physical notes prior to having a notetaker assigned.