But when taking notes by hand, it’s often impossible to write everything down; students have to actively pay attention to the incoming information and process it—prioritize it, consolidate it and try to relate it to things they’ve learned before. This conscious action of building onto existing knowledge can make it easier to stay engaged and grasp new concepts.
I highly agree with this idea. As a freshman I did start out with typing out class notes, and would notice that the information would not stick in my mind. However when I transitioned to pen and paper, I was forced to "consolidate" the material spoken in the lecture to keep up with the instructor. And this would make me have to understand or grasp the "consolidation" before writing. This had a clear correlation with my grades, and since then I always preferred to write with pen and paper instead of typing out class note.