Maybe, in small ways, colleges and universities are trying to restore some semblance of sanity in the classroom. Make no mistake, they're still hotbeds of DEI woke indoctrination, but we'll take the wins where we can find them. At the University of Chicago, for example, core classes in the social sciences will go "analog" — restricting the use of in-classroom technology and banning AI-assisted writing and grading for both students and professors.
All social science Core classes at UChicago will transition to an “analog” approach for the upcoming academic year, restricting in-classroom technology use and banning AI-assisted writing and grading for students and professors.https://t.co/RDHe1CllOO
— The Chicago Maroon (@ChicagoMaroon) August 23, 2026
Social sciences (sosc) Core classes will generally prohibit the use of technology in class and ban the use of artificial intelligence tools by students and instructors beginning this fall, according to a Social Sciences Collegiate Division (SSCD) memo obtained by the Maroon.
The guidance, issued by SSCD Master Jenny Trinitapoli in consultation with sequence chairs and instructors, reflects a “strong consensus … that our sequences are best understood as a pedagogical setting without AI,” the memo reads. “Although practices have varied course-by-course in recent years, in AY 2027 sequences are collectively designed to be taught as ‘analog’ courses.”
Under the new guidelines, students will primarily read texts on paper and engage with them via device-free guided discussions, in contrast to previous years, when technology policies were left to the discretion of instructors, with many permitting the use of laptops and digital texts in class.
This is a good change.
Good!
— Cheesetrader (@cheesetrader1) August 24, 2026
About time
Return to basics
Signed, class of far too long ago
Students learn better when they write things out by hand, when they have to read actual textbooks, and when they have to write their own work.
But the move does come after the University of Chicago announced a collaboration with Anthropic for access to the Claude AI service.
Oddly enough the University has very recently entered into a collaboration agreement with Anthropic, to provide Claude access to staff and students. How interesting!!!https://t.co/NZmRzY5HFe
— Absurdipolitical (@dalipolitial) August 23, 2026
The timing is certainly interesting.
Wonder how that will work for students with disabilities who need their devices.
— Kathode (@kathoderaytube) August 23, 2026
Certainly, students with actual disabilities will continue to have access.
"I don't like writing" is not a disability, however.
This is what smart policy looks like in higher ed. Integrate AI in a deliberate way for upper level courses; Core should be “analog”. https://t.co/KPbGnmtFH8
— Alex Imas (@alexolegimas) August 24, 2026
And analog should be the norm in elementary, middle, and high school until students know how to read, write, and do math.
AI, while a useful tool, is not foolproof or perfect. Seriously, go ask AI to generate a map of the United States and see what happens. Students and their teachers need the foundational skills before using AI to create things, and AI should never be used to write papers or complete projects entirely.
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