Rubrics are useful for establishing a set of criteria by which student work will be judged. Rubrics can be given to students at the beginning of the semester to help them understand your expectations for their work. They can also help graders to achieve consistency, e.g., in courses in which more than one person will be evaluating student work. Finally, assessment rubrics should be referred to when giving students feedback on their assignments.
Although the examples provided here are rubrics for professional writing, oral presentations, or lab reports, similar criteria can be developed for design projects, problem solving, or critical thinking skills.