For a couple cents or a few tokens, Carleton students now have an alternative way to get notes without actually attending class.

Tokens provide access to classmates’ notes on NoteWagon.com and can be cashed out for a cheque from the founders. Registered users can buy tokens by putting money into their accounts, or by uploading good notes that garner downloads, according to the website.


One token is the equivalent of a penny, and they can be cashed out at any time, according to Saif Altimimi, the CEO and one of NoteWagon’s founders.


Students can preview the notes, see ratings, and comments before spending any tokens, Altimimi said.

One benefit of writing concise notes is that you can access classmates’ notes without spending any money, because you can earn tokens by virtue of providing solid notes, said Andrew Novosad, a Carleton student and NoteWagon representative.


The ratio of tokens earned to number of downloads is one to one.


Committed students can sign up as semester note-takers who provide notes on a weekly basis for a course. Signing up as a semester note-taker automatically boosts the token count by $50 worth of cash, or the equivalent of 5,000 tokens.

The website launch is ongoing, but Novosad said he was hired Oct. 19 to help promote the site using the campus-specific promotional code CAR. If students sign up using this code, the site will provide them 150 free tokens.


The university will not be directly involved in the promotion of the website, Novosad said.


“It’s not something most teachers and faculties are going to endorse, because it can be a way for students to go to class less frequently,” he said.


Note-taking is a fundamental part of the learning process, but using other sources of information will reinforce concepts, Altimimi said.


“I think that note-taking skills are very relative. A lot of students can’t take notes properly. An example is myself . . . I’m a horrible note-taker. Being able to rely on other sources aside from my own material is very valuable to me,” Altimimi said.


“One can say that we (NoteWagon) give people the incentive to take good notes,” Altimimi said.


At Ryerson University, the website has become the leading source for notes and note-sharing, Novosad said.


“A lot of teachers don’t like students asking for notes on WebCT, so this is for kids who need notes and need to catch up,” Novosad said.


The website currently has 20,000 registered users from the Toronto and Boston area, according to Novosad.