AI was eroding trust in my classroom - so I got rid of typed papers and bought my students notebooks instead

"Around six years ago, I told my students that laptops and tablets weren't allowed in my class, unless they had an accommodation from the university. I was seeing lots of students distracted by the screens in front of them - messages, links, emails, and notifications were popping up, taking them elsewhere mentally. I realized that having no laptops in the classroom was making a huge difference."

"However, anxiety about whether my students were using AI to write their assignments was creating a trust problem. At the start of this semester, I bought my students $1 notebooks from Amazon. Instead of submitting typed papers online, they are journaling by hand to analyze what they're reading."

"In anonymous comments from students evaluating the course, I've had numerous responses along the lines of: 'I actually hated that we weren't going to have laptops. But now I'm glad the professor actually did that. It was way more engaging not to have technology in the class.'"

An NYU assistant professor of history implemented a no-technology classroom policy six years ago to reduce student distractions from laptops and tablets. When AI tools began creating trust issues around online paper submissions, she took additional action by purchasing $1 notebooks for all students. Students now complete primary-source analysis assignments through handwritten journaling instead of uploading typed documents. This approach eliminates concerns about AI usage while fostering greater classroom engagement. Students have responded positively, with some decorating their notebook covers, and the professor reports having more enjoyable interactions with her class.

Read at Business Insider