Cornell instructor uses typewriters to sidestep AI in language classes

Grit Matthias Phelps, a German language instructor at Cornell, has students complete one assignment per semester on manual typewriters. The practice began in spring 2023 after she grew frustrated with students using generative AI and translation tools to produce grammatically perfect work. Students type without screens, spellcheckers, or delete keys, forcing them to slow down and engage directly with the material. The typewriter exercise is part of a broader shift in US education toward pen-and-paper exams and oral tests as instructors grapple with AI-assisted coursework. It matters because it shows one pragmatic, low-tech response to a problem that developer tools and detection software have largely failed to solve.