Nila Learn
Notes that show how a lecture fits together
Upload your slides, a recording or a reading. Nila writes notes section by section, draws a map of how the ideas connect, and gives you questions that make you use what you read
How it works
- Step 1
Add the lecture
Slides as PDF or PowerPoint, a Word document, a recording, or a YouTube lecture. Combine several and pick the main one to follow.
- Step 2
Read notes made for understanding
Usually ready in about seven minutes: sections in the lecture’s order, with every part tied back to the source.
- Step 3
Connect it and use it
Fill the gaps on the lecture’s map as you go, then work through a real situation or explain it in your own words.
Notes built from what the lecture is trying to teach
Nila does not summarize slide by slide. It writes the lecture as something to understand, choosing the right shape for each idea:
- A pathway for a process you can follow step by step.
- A table for two or more things you might confuse.
- A profile for one thing you need to know well: a drug, a disease, a case, a model.
- A formula with every symbol explained.
- An analogy when the lecture uses one, or when an idea needs one.
- A mnemonic where one helps.
Key terms are marked, maths is typeset properly, and anything the lecturer said is not for the exam is set apart, so it doesn’t crowd what is.
Your lecture’s own figures, where you need them
The diagrams in notes are the ones from your slides or your recording, cut out and placed beside the paragraph that explains them. Nila does not invent illustrations. Every section links to the page or moment it was written from, so you can always check.
A map of the whole lecture
Beside the notes is a concept map of the lecture: up to 30 concepts, joined by links that say what kind of relationship it is — causes, is a type of, is needed for, contrasts with. After each section Nila leaves a few links blank and asks you to fill them in. Every lecture’s map joins your Atlas, one map across all your courses.
Practice that asks you to think
Reading is only the start. After the notes, Nila gives you a few exercises with your notes and map hidden:
- Scenario — a situation you haven’t seen, the kind you would meet on an exam or a placement. Pick an answer, then explain why, step by step. Nila reads your reasoning and asks about the step that is missing before it shows you a worked answer.
- Explain it to a friend — put a mechanism into plain words.
- Connect the ideas — a question that needs two sections, or two lectures, to answer.
When you get one wrong with confidence, it comes back days later as a new situation. The key ideas also become cards in Nila Cards, so they come back on a spaced schedule.
What you can turn into notes
PDF and PowerPoint slides, Word documents, text and Markdown files, audio recordings and YouTube lectures, up to about 25,000 words or three hours per note. Notes from video and YouTube are part of the Learn and Learn+ plans. Notes are written in the language of your lecture.
Questions
How long does it take?
Usually about seven minutes for a lecture. You can leave the page and come back; the notes keep being written.
Can I make notes from a lecture recording?
Yes. Upload the audio or video, or paste a YouTube link. For video, Nila listens to what is said and reads what is on the slides. Notes from video are part of the Learn and Learn+ plans.
How is this different from asking a chatbot to summarize my slides?
A summary is shorter; these notes are built to be understood. Each idea gets the shape it needs, figures come from your own lecture, every part links to its source, and the notes come with a map and closed-book practice. See studying with AI for why that difference matters.
Is it free?
The free plan includes one Learn note, so you can try it on a real lecture. The Learn plan includes 20 notes a month. See pricing.
Read on
- FeaturesA concept map of every lecture, and of everything you studyNila draws a concept map of each lecture with labelled links, asks you to fill in the key ones, and joins every map into one Atlas across your courses
- FeaturesTurn a video lecture into notes and cardsPaste a YouTube link or upload a lecture video and Nila writes notes and cards from it, reading both what is said and what is on the slides, with every card linked to its moment in the video
- FeaturesTurn your PDFs and slides into cards worth reviewingUpload a PDF, PowerPoint or Word file and Nila writes cards from it: questions, cloze, tables, step-by-step pathways and quizzes, each linked to the page it came from
- GuideHow to study a lecture so it staysWhat to do before, during and after a lecture, based on the evidence: questions first, notes that show how ideas connect, recall instead of rereading, and reviews spaced over the semester
- GuideDoes the Feynman technique work?What the studies say about self-explanation and learning by teaching: when explaining an idea in your own words helps, when it doesn’t, and why speaking beats writing
Start with one lecture
Upload one lecture and read it as notes with a map of how its ideas connect. Free to start