TORONTO- The University of Toronto’s Jackman Faculty of Law is banning laptops in select classrooms starting this September semester, instructing students to take notes by hand.
University officials introduced the policy following faculty concerns that laptops encourage verbatim typing rather than active engagement, thereby hindering analytical thinking and comprehension. Associate Dean Richard Stacey explained that while handwriting notes is slower, it allows students to process and understand information more deeply.
The restriction will not apply to all classes and is left to individual faculty discretion. Students will be permitted to use tablets with styluses as an alternative to paper notebooks. To ensure students do not miss key information, the faculty plans to provide AI-generated notes or presentation slides.
However, the decision has drawn strong pushback from the student body. A survey conducted by the Students’ Law Society (SLS) revealed that 76 percent of students oppose the new policy. Students expressed doubts about the accuracy of AI-generated summaries and voiced accessibility concerns, noting that students requiring accommodations who continue using laptops might feel singled out in class.
