Convert lecture notes to Cornell format

The Cornell method splits a page into a notes column, a cue column of questions and keywords, and a summary at the bottom. The value is not the layout: it is that the cue column turns notes into a self-test, and the summary forces the student to say what the lecture was about. Most students' raw notes are a transcript of slides with gaps where the lecturer went fast. The job is to restructure what the student wrote, not to rewrite the lecture from general knowledge.

Convert these notes into Cornell formatOnly if [COURSE] is given: for [COURSE].

1. Read all the notes first and split them into 3 to 8 sections, one per idea or subtopic the lecture covered, in the lecture's order.
2. For each section, write the notes column: the student's points cleaned up into short lines. Expand abbreviations only when the meaning is clear; keep the student's wording where it is accurate; keep any examples, numbers and diagrams they recorded (describe a diagram in one line).
3. For each section, write 1 to 3 cue questions. Each must be answerable from that section's notes and must ask for recall or understanding ("Why does X cause Y?", "What are the three stages of Z?"), not just name a keyword. Include at least one "why" or "how" question per lecture.
4. Write a summary of 3 to 5 sentences: the lecture's main idea, how the sections connect, and the one thing most likely to be examined.
5. List the gaps to check: places where a note stops mid-thought, a term is used but never defined, a step is missing, two notes contradict each other, or a statement looks wrong. Quote the note and say what to check and where (slides, textbook, lecturer).
6. Explain how to review these notes, adapted to this lecture.

• Do not add facts the student did not write. If something important seems missing, it goes in "Gaps to check", never silently into the notes column.
• If a note looks factually wrong, leave it in the notes column marked "(check)" and explain in "Gaps to check" what you believe is correct and why. Never fix an error silently: the student needs to know their notes were wrong.
• Cue questions must not contain their own answers.
• If the notes are too short or fragmentary to structure (a few words, a single line), say what you need and stop.

Cornell notes

One table per section, headed with the section name: | Cue | Notes | Cue questions in the left column, aligned with the notes they test.

Summary

3 to 5 sentences.

Gaps to check

Numbered: the quoted note, what is missing or doubtful, where to check.

How to review these notes

A short routine: within 24 hours, cover the notes column and answer the cue questions aloud, then check; mark the ones missed; repeat the missed ones after 2 to 3 days and again after a week; turn persistent misses into flashcards. Add one line on what to do with the gaps before the next lecture.