'Bring a notebook and a pen': University of Chicago bans all electronics from first-year law classes to combat AI-related cheating

The new rule, which applies specifically to first-year law students, would forbid them from bringing phones and computers into class, even just for taking notes.

Professors would be able to designate “classroom scribes” who would be allowed to use electronic devices for note-taking, though. They would also be allowed to bring in electronics for specific uses, such as polling.

“We need to ensure that our students actually learn to think critically, strategically, and independently without relying on AI,” the university stated in a July 9 AI strategy release.

Here’s what to know about how universities are tackling AI use in classrooms — and what students have to say about it.

Higher ed as a whole hasn’t found one solution to AI in the classroom

Despite UChicago Law’s hardline approach to AI during class, its AI strategy statement doesn’t call for students to cease AI use entirely.

“We also must face the reality that AI tools are already widely available to our students, and our graduates will be expected to be prepared to use them in legal practice,” the statement says.

The school’s plan has first-year students learning to tackle legal writing and research without the use of AI tools; after they’ve successfully learned the fundamentals, the school plans to introduce AI tools to the curriculum.

Many schools are starting to leave total AI bans behind in favor of limiting AI while requiring transparency, according to a report in Inside Higher Ed.

“Outright bans tend not to persist, possibly because they are hard to enforce,” says Igor Chirikov, an education researcher at UC Berkeley. “Instructors increasingly specify when AI use is acceptable and for which tasks, which aligns better with how learning actually happens.”

AI detection tools are no more accurate than the tools used to generate AI text. They often rate human-written text as AI-generated. Some AI detectors also offer services to make AI-generated text appear more “human” to readers.

But AI is not a solved problem in higher education. Universities and professors don’t always agree on the best way to approach it — and AI tools are new enough that no one’s sure what the best policy is.

Students agree that something should be done about AI — but they don’t agree on what

According to a survey in Inside Higher Ed, 97% of students believe schools should do something about academic integrity issues to do with AI, though 85% of students are using the tools.

“I have jobs, I have other classes, I have clubs,” Anjali Tatini, a college student who uses AI to study, told NPR. “It’s nice to have something that’s on my own time, able to respond to me the same way that maybe a person would.”

Instead of instituting electronics bans like UChicago Law, students largely prefer to incorporate AI tools into their work to some degree. When surveyed, around 50% of students were in favor of universities instituting clear AI policies, educating students on how to use AI, and allowing students to use AI as long as they’re transparent about it.