Final answer:
Active listening is the most important aspect of effective note-taking, as it enables a student to understand, engage, and concisely capture the material being learned, which is more crucial than writing speed, highlighting, or pen colors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most important aspect of effective note-taking is c) Active listening. While writing speed, the use of colorful pens, and highlighting key points all have their place in note-taking, none are as crucial as active listening. This is because active listening allows you to engage with the material, understand the main ideas and concepts, and then condense and record these in your notes accurately and efficiently.
Instead of attempting to write down everything verbatim, focus on capturing major ideas and telling statements in the subject's own words for potential quotations in your paper. Utilize techniques such as omitting small words and using common abbreviations to increase the efficiency of your note-taking. When studying, approaching text critically by summarizing in your own words and asking questions about the text can be more effective than extensive highlighting or the use of multiple pen colors.