Issues in transitioning from the traditional blue-book to computer-based writing assessment

With the increasing popularity of computers in learning and instruction, it is evident that students are no longer doing much pen-and-paper writing in the classroom. Since most academic work is done on computers, handwriting any piece of academic work is tacitly becoming foreign to students. As such, their placement writing assessments, too, should be administered on computers. However, the decision to transition from the traditional blue book to computer-based writing assessment requires a careful understanding of issues that affect students and raters and that college writing programs must be quipped to manage. This article discusses such critical issues necessary for making informed transitioning and suggests ways to ensure tests administered in both modes are comparable.