Blaise is a free open-source software/hardware system designed to support writing programs.
Students write papers using the Blaise editor—a simple text editor—and submit them electronically to a back-end database. Instructors download student papers from the database onto a tablet PC and then use pen-like electronic markup to grade the papers.
These papers are then returned electronically to the students. Because modern writing programs emphasize working through drafts and peer review, Blaise maintains multiple drafts for each assignment and also supports multiple graders.
The back-end database allows students to maintain long-term writing portfolios and enables institutions to track and collect data for assessment of writing programs.