Page 188 - Composition in Convergence The Impact of the New Media on Writing Assessment

Chapter 7

Remediating Writing Assessment

I want to end this book on a hopeful note about technological con-
vergence and its impact on writing assessment. Hope is exactly what
writing instructors need in light of the politics of technology and of
writing assessment in education. The reality is that these two tech-
nologies, computers and assessment, are here to stay in Composi-
tion. So too is the age of fast capitalism that drives not only the ways
teachers teach writing and the ways in which teachers use comput-
ers in writing instruction but also the ways in which writing is
viewed and assessed within education. Fast capitalism, with its need
to generate rapid distribution of information and (intellectual) capi-
tal, also drives the push for more, better, faster, and efficient educa-
tional and evaluation models.
More college instructors have to become conscious of the grow-
ing number of external factors that influence the rationale behind
the blending of technologies in the writing classroom. Most of these
outside forces pressuring technological convergence in the compo-
sition classroom have little to do with learning and much to do
with speed, efficiency, and political image. This is another harsh re-
ality in higher education. Administrators feel the pressure from
state legislatures that demand information on student outcomes,
retention, attrition, and progress to make funding determinations.
At times, faculty find the endless paper shuffling and document
creation processes to be nothing more than academic exercises. In
the end, from the faculty perspective, teaching lines are under-
funded, technology purchases are tabled, and students never seem
to have enough sections of the writing classes they need. Techno-

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