Analogue learning in ISP100: Time to hit rewind?
ISP100’s Back-to-the-90s class encourages students to reflect on how to navigate the advantages and costs of AI use in education.
Listen to the audio version of this article here!*
It is 2048, and you have just handed in your online midterm. As you leave your desk, your Artificial Intelligence (AI) companion’s voice rings out, congratulating you on all your hours of study. You sigh happily, thank your study buddy, and flop onto your bed, ready for reading week.
You never had to sit at your desk, head in your hands, wondering when the problem would make sense. You never had to ask a classmate or a professor for help. It came easily. All you had to do was ask and receive.
AI has changed the pedagogical landscape rapidly in the past few years, leaving educators and students wondering what the future of education looks like. For some, AI is an all-or-nothing dilemma. For one ISP100 professor, however, the answer lies in balancing the past and the future.
Back-to-the-90s class
Markers squeaking, pencils scratching, and students talking.
These were the sounds echoing in some ISP100 classrooms during the week of October 5, when students arrived in their best 90s outfits for their Back-to-the-90s class. This tradition, initiated by UTM professor Mustafa Siddiqui in fall 2026, allows students to take a three-hour break from their electronic devices and retreat into the slower world of analogue learning.
The course teaches academic writing, but at its core, it aims at pushing students to think analytically and critically about the things they read and write. After witnessing the diminishing student engagement in his classes, Professor Siddiqui conducted an analogue experiment. Students handwrote their notes, brainstormed ideas for upcoming projects, and completed interactive activities with the sounds of 90s pop playing from a vintage Emerson clock radio.
For students, the effects were immediate. Abigail Delic, a first-year ISP100 student, shared that she enjoyed the lack of devices, which “made for a much more interactive and relaxed environment.”
The sounds of pencils scribbling and students talking replaced the sounds of notifications. While many students appeared to enjoy this experience, this device-free class raised a much bigger question: What do students stand to gain and lose by stepping away from technology?
AI and education
Technology has practical uses and consequences, especially in the age of AI. For many, AI is a tool that helps brainstorm and correct their work. Many universities have leaned into it, with the Georgia Institute of Technology recently introducing an AI-powered teaching assistant into its courses to give students more educational feedback.
Meanwhile, others are moving away from the slippery slope of AI use. With users reporting falsified information and evident bias from chatbots, universities like the University of Chicago have begun forming device-free classrooms. Though AI may offer fast and easy answers, it simultaneously undermines a critical aspect of learning — struggling through a concept. Recent scholarship has also presented contrasting perspectives on the role of AI in education.
Research conducted by the MIT media lab suggests that over-reliance on AI can diminish cognitive capabilities, therefore hindering academic growth. However, the Stanford Graduate School of Business argues that AI has already made its way into the workforce, emphasizing that now is the time to prepare future leaders for these evolving roles.
Once again, greater education seems at a crossroads. Nevertheless, many students don’t feel pressured to pick between one or the other.
“Moving forward, educational institutions should attempt to integrate both analogue and technological methods of teaching,” suggested Daisia Muma, a fellow ISP100 student. “Relying solely on technology creates dissonance, yet, refusing to partake in the future sets students back.”
Muma’s point is one that universities should pay attention to. In times of uncertainty, balance can be the best strategy.
The power of now
Though Professor Siddiqui’s ISP100 hits the rewind button once per term, it may not be enough. Regular device-free sessions, paired with open dialogue about the subject-specific uses of AI could help students cultivate both the critical capabilities of evaluating their world and the technical know-how to enter the workforce.
So, as you imagine 2048 again, ask yourself whose voice you would rather hear congratulating you on completing your midterm. Is it an AI bot or the classmate you spent three hours studying with?
Regardless of what we choose, technology will change. What we do to cultivate our own capabilities in and out of the classroom is the only part we get to control.
*AI-Generated Audio Transcription Disclaimer
The audio transcription included in this article was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology with the purpose of improving accessibility for our readers and providing an alternative opportunity to engage with The Medium‘s content. Please note that AI-generated transcriptions may contain errors or inaccuracies in pronunciation, wording, or interpretation.
The original written article remains the authoritative version of the content. If you notice an error in the audio transcription, please contact social@themedium.ca so we can conduct further reviews and corrections.
