Cornell students battle AI with typewriters

• Cornell students use typewriters to combat AI in writing.
• German instructor Phelps launched initiative in spring 2023.
• Students faced challenges, fostering focus and interaction.

Students at Cornell University are embracing manual typewriters in a unique educational exercise designed to counteract the use of AI in academic writing.

Grit Matthias Phelps, a German language instructor, has introduced this approach to help students experience writing without digital aids. This initiative, launched in spring 2023, emerged from Phelps' concerns over students relying on generative AI and online translation tools for assignments. The assignment emphasizes traditional writing techniques, encouraging students to engage with the material more authentically.

Reviving Old-School Writing Techniques

During a recent class, students found themselves using manual typewriters, an experience that many described as bewildering. Freshman Catherine Mong expressed her surprise, stating, “I was so confused. I had no idea what was happening. I’d seen typewriters in movies, but they don’t tell you how a typewriter works.”

Phelps provided a demonstration on how to operate the machines, emphasizing the tactile experience of writing. She explained the mechanics of the typewriter, such as how to manually feed paper and the significance of the bell that indicates the end of a line. “Everything slows down. It’s like back in the old days when you really did one thing at a time,” Phelps noted, underscoring the value of focused writing.

Fostering Engagement and Reflection

The assignment encourages deeper interaction among students. Computer science major Ratchaphon Lertdamrongwong shared, “It dawned on me that the difference with typing on a typewriter is not just how you interact with the typewriter, but how you interact with the world around you.” He noted that without the distractions of screens, students were more inclined to communicate with each other.

Lertdamrongwong remarked, “While writing the essay, I had to talk a lot more, socialize a lot more, which I guess was normal back then.” He emphasized that the absence of a delete key forced him to think critically about his writing process.

Challenges and Discoveries

Students faced physical challenges with typewriters, with many struggling to touch-type effectively. Mong, who was limited to one hand due to a recent wrist injury, described her initial frustrations with producing a neat page. “This thing I handed in had pencil marks all over it and definitely did not look clean or finished,” she explained, but found joy in the learning process.

Despite the difficulties, Mong embraced the imperfections, experimenting with the layout of her poem in the style of E.E. Cummings. She expressed her fascination with typewriters, stating, “I told all my friends, I did a German test on a typewriter!”