The University of Toronto’s Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law is instituting a new structural policy that gives professors the option to run "laptop-free" learning environments, encouraging students to return to handwriting their lecture notes.
According to correspondence sent to the student community by Associate Dean Richard Stacey, the shift targets concerns that transcribing lectures nearly verbatim on laptop keyboards can hinder deep, analytical engagement with complex legal materials. School leadership argues that the physical speed of handwriting forces students to process concepts actively in real time rather than mindlessly recording text.
Administrators emphasize that the initiative is not a blanket, mandatory ban spanning the entire faculty. Instead, individual professors and adjunct instructors maintain the choice to decide whether a keyboard-free format suits their pedagogical style and course objectives.
While traditional typing devices are prohibited in participating rooms, students are still allowed to use digital tablets provided they write exclusively with a stylus rather than an attached keyboard. To mitigate note-taking anxiety, the framework mandates that participating lecture sections supply alternative learning references. Depending on the instructor, these supports may include class slides, speaker notes, AI-generated summaries, or a rotating group of designated student note-takers.
Faculty leadership notes that the decision stems from a desire to safeguard the academic standard of training future legal professionals, noting concerns that digital tools can sometimes interfere with active seminar participation and critical thinking.
At the same time, the administration affirms that university-approved digital accommodations remain fully protected. Students who require assistive technologies or specialized laptop access through university accessibility services are advised to consult their coordinators to arrange proper exemptions.