The College Note-Taking System

Tonya Winton is an academic skills specialist and former college writing instructor with over fifteen years of experience helping students transition from high school to higher education. She holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia and has worked as a learning center coordinator at three major universities, where she designed and taught workshops on note-taking, time management, and exam preparation.

Tonya’s approach blends cognitive science research with real-world classroom practice. She has helped thousands of students—from first-generation freshmen to doctoral candidates—develop personalized study systems that lead to measurable grade improvements. Her articles on effective learning strategies have appeared in *The Chronicle of Higher Education*, *Edutopia*, and *College Success Magazine*. She is also the creator of the popular online course “Note-Taking That Works,” which has been adopted by several university learning centers.

When not writing or teaching, Tonya speaks at academic conferences and consults with universities on improving student retention through better study skills. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she continues to test new note-taking methods live in the classroom—because, as she often says, “the best system is one that evolves with each student.” *The College Note-Taking System* is her first book.