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Zettelkasten Usage in Higher Education: A modern twist to an archaic study method
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Modern education is faced with a serious problem for students: virtually unlimited information. The overwhelming amount of data available in every subject and sub-field is unprecedented. This increases the risk of students learning/memorizing facts for tests, but never truly integrating concepts and ideas. A possible solution to this problem is using an electronic zettelkasten (or "slip-box") system. Zettelkasten mirror neural networks, linking ideas and topics together non-linearly to form a cohesive network of knowledge. This system was made famous by Niklas Luhmann, a prolific sociologist with more than 70 books and 400 articles to his name. He created an extensive index card collection, organized by a hierarchy of numbers in different boxes (hence the name "slip-box"). When asked about his prodigious memory and success, Mr. Luhmann credited this system. Its time and space-consuming nature prevented it from widespread usage previously. Recently however, several electronic programs and applications have been created to facilitate the zettelkasten system, making it eminently practical and a perfect fit for higher education. Students can create topics and link them together in unique/personal ways that highlight specific connections that are important to them and their classes. We'll go over several different examples of electronic zettelkasten readily available today, and demonstrate how they could be implemented in and out of the classroom. The audience will have the chance to participate by setting up their own zettelkasten (either on their phones, or on their computers) to get a feel for how the system could be implemented in their own work, as well as by their students.