Anyone else struggling to understand accented professors in big lecture halls?

I'm an international student, and my notes are only as good as what I can hear, which in some lecture halls isn't much: professor far from the phone's microphone, room noise, accent on top. Half-finished notes, then an evening spent patching the gaps.

I'm validating an idea before building it further: an app that separates voices, brings the professor's voice out of noisy and talk-over environments, is built to handle all accents, and turns lectures into study notes you'd actually reread.

Questions:

1. What do you do today: recorder, front row, or just survive?
2. Do your classes provide notes before exams, or are you on your own?
3. Does your school even allow recording?

All feedback welcome. (I have a demo if anyone genuinely wants to see it, just ask.)