The Rise and Fall of the Blue Book: An Examination of Essay Exam Books

Abstract

In recent years, as electronic testing has become more popular it has replaced other forms of testing. Utah State University’s Fall 2016 English 3470 Approaches to Research in English Studies course decided to research what was happening to one of those forms, the blue book, via historiography, textual analysis, faculty interviews, and a survey of students. We found a less significant decline in use of blue-book exams than expected, one reason being that faculty members are more concerned with cheating with computerized exams than with blue books. Students, however, prefer computerized exams and have more anxiety with blue books. While we predict a continued decline in use of the blue books, our research suggests they may not disappear entirely.