Rubrics are often used to grade assignments such as essays that demonstrate a range of desirable qualities. The criteria or standards can be listed on one axis while characteristics of each criteria are spelled out in a continuum from weak to complex.

Several examples of rubrics used to evaluate critical thinking are included here:

Washington State University, Guide to Rating Critical Thinking
Wolcott and Lynch, Stair-Step Model Rubric
Facione and Facione, Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric
These three are set up somewhat differently, but each states the criteria to be used and differentiates the range of characteristics.

In order to create a rubric for a specific activity, the instructor should clarify his/her expectations. Will completion of the activity be enough? Are there various parts of the activity, each of which need to be fleshed out? One way to spell out expectations is to complete a primary trait analysis. This process is described in detail in a paper and a power point presentation on the NVCC Assessment web site.

If the activity is part of the grading structure, using a rubric with assigned points for each category makes grading clear and less subjective. For example, the rubric uses Wolcott and Lynch's four step process:

In developing a rubric for assessing critical thinking, it is important to look for how the students answered the posed questions, and not focus on their actual opinion. For deficient thinking, prompts can be utilized to enable students to elaborate and gather additional supporting evidence.

A clear, specific rubric can be given to students before their first posting so that they know how their efforts will be evaluated. Afterwards the graded rubric should be shared. Knowing the guidelines will enhance future contributions and improve their self-assessment.