The return of "analog" to education

An interesting article in The Chicago Maroon recently upholds the heartfelt belief of many in education; humans learn best from other humans. 

The Social Sciences Collegiate Division (SSCD) of the University of Chicago, after internal discussions and the consideration of a report carried out within the university, has decided that all courses will be run as "analog" courses for the academic year 2027. The practical elements of this move to analog include the need for students to primarily read texts on paper and engage with them via device-free guided discussions. Previously, the university's technology policies were left to the discretion of individual course instructors, and as is so often the case, many instructors did permit the use of laptops and digital texts in class. 

In a memo to staff and students, it has been made clear that "the guidelines afford students the freedom to think for themselves, to listen to one another without the cacophony of other (disembodied and non-human) voices in the room, to make mistakes, and to change their minds as they engage with thinkers of the past, with us, and with their fellow students in good faith, face-to-face", a refreshing thought!

The article in the Chicago Maroon is worth your time. It outlines several changes 

The memo cites as influential a 2025 report on AI and education by the University's Artificial Intelligence and Education Working Group, which, according to the memo, "emphasizes the centrality of human engagement, human interaction, and human expertise to UChicago's educational mission."