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Criteria

For students, the learning objectives can be too broad or ambiguous to provide a good understanding of what is intended. Often a sort of translation or operationalization is needed. Criteria help to define and explain to the students what is valued. They provide guidance.
Criteria help the assessors to be consistent in the way they will assess the results of assignments or performances and to stay focussed on the important elements. It provides also a focus for goal-oriented feedback. If more than one assessor is involved, it will ensure that for the same kind of work, they will value the same aspects.

Criteria tell something about the quality of the work or performance. In general, it can be assessed on a scale (implicit, or explicit). For instance: the work is insufficient, sufficient, good, excellent. Or: Basis / Proficient / Advanced performance.
A useful sentence to formulate the criteria for the students: We are looking for / We assess the degree to which the [product / performance] is ... [criterium]. // Or: We assess whether you are able to …

Characteristics of well-drafted criteria
What are the characteristics of well-drafted criteria? They...
- match the learning objectives
- relate to something observable, measurable
- are relevant, cover the ground (no important ones missing)
- are clear, not vague or ambiguous (explained, made understandable)
- are distinct, there is no or not much overlap between the set of criteria
- are explicit, not hidden
- are somewhere between clear and not too specific (straightjacket); leaving room for expert judgment
TIP: For transparency purposes: discuss the criteria with the students, give examples, involve the students, and help them plan for success. Criteria might even be drafted in co-creation with the students.

Criteria versus requirements

Criteria evaluate the quality of the work or performance, while requirements indicate the basic elements needed for the assignment to be accepted. For instance: the paper should be between 4-5 pages or the concept map should be made in (software program) Visio.
Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether something is a criterion or a requirement or guideline. If the following sentence makes sense, it will be likely a criterion: The assessment (grading) will be based on the degree to which the student can… [brief description of the required performance, starting with a verb]. Or … the degree to which the [product/performance] is…. A requirement is more about what should be present, the "must have" and it's more a question of yes or no: "is done" or " is present".

It is recommended to inform your students beforehand about the consequences if the requirements are not met. For instance, what happens if the deadline is missed or if the maximum number of words for a paper is exceeded? Decisions can be for instance: that the work is inadmissible, unacceptable (given back to the students to repair); that the grade will be a fail; or deduction of points.

Interesting to ponder about: Criteria for assignments can also be called success criteria. Based on Shirley Clare & John Hattie, there can be a distinction made between
>> product-based success criteria. The focus is on products or performance as aimed for, not on how it will be achieved.
>> process-based criteria. These criteria focus on the steps and strategies during the learning process, guiding students on how to achieve the learning goals.

Process-based criteria can be helpful during the learning process, especially for promoting self-assessment and self-regulation. They can also relate to the development of transferable skills. To give an example for an assignment about baking a cake: A product-based criterion might be: The cake should be moist and fluffy inside. A process-based criterion might be: The cake should be long enough, but not too long in the oven at the right temperature.

To learn more: video Success Criteria; article Moving From Product to Process Success Criteria; Article Focusing Assessment on Process and Product – Encouraging Academic Integrity Through Intentional Assessment Design.