Rubrics and Performance Criteria

Assessment in English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) contexts requires a careful balance between evaluating content mastery and language proficiency. Because students are learning subject knowledge through a second or additional language, assessment tools must ensure that students are not unfairly penalized for language challenges while still being encouraged to develop academic English skills. In this regard, rubrics and performance criteria play a central role in clarifying expectations, ensuring consistency, and fostering meaningful feedback.

Research indicates that well-designed rubrics enhance transparency and fairness in EMI classrooms. By explicitly outlining assessment criteria, rubrics help students understand what is valued in their academic performance, thus reducing ambiguity and aligning student and instructor expectations (Vural & Dinçer, 2022). This is especially important in multilingual environments where diverse linguistic backgrounds may lead to misunderstandings about academic standards (Espinar & Hernández, 2023).

Moreover, rubrics support the development of academic literacy by drawing students’ attention to the rhetorical, structural, and linguistic features expected in academic communication. When combined with multimodal learning approaches, such as visual representations, presentation tasks, or collaborative discussions, rubrics can promote both cognitive and social skill development (Espinar & Hernández, 2023). Additionally, incorporating translanguaging strategies allows students to draw on their full linguistic resources to comprehend and express content more effectively, reinforcing the goals set out in the rubric (Yuan & Yang, 2020).

Thus, in EMI contexts, well-structured rubrics do more than guide evaluation—they actively contribute to building students’ confidence, supporting language development, and ensuring equitable academic participation. They serve as both instructional and assessment tools, helping students grow as learners while maintaining fairness and clarity across diverse educational settings.

What Are Rubrics?

A rubric is an assessment tool consisting of defined criteria and a scale of performance levels. Rubrics help articulate what high-quality work looks like and guide students toward achieving targeted learning outcomes. For EMI learners, rubrics clarify expectations for both content understanding and language use, reducing ambiguity and anxiety.

Analytic vs. Holistic Rubrics

Analytic rubrics break down performance into separate criteria (e.g., content accuracy, organization, language clarity). They are useful in EMI contexts where both language and content need attention.

Holistic rubrics provide a single overall score. They can be efficient but may obscure which aspects of performance need development.

Designing Performance Criteria

Performance criteria describe what students must demonstrate at each achievement level. Criteria should be observable, measurable, and aligned with both course outcomes and disciplinary expectations.

• Use clear and accessible academic language.
• Ensure criteria align with activity purpose (e.g., presentation vs. written report).
• Specify expectations for terminology use, conceptual accuracy, and reasoning.
• Define language expectations realistically for the EMI level.

Sample EMI Rubric Categories

• Content Understanding: Accuracy, relevance, depth of explanation.
• Organization & Coherence: Logical structure and flow of ideas.
• Use of Academic English: Clarity, precision, grammar, and vocabulary.
• Engagement & Delivery (for presentations): Pronunciation, pacing, interaction.

The weighting of criteria should be adjusted based on the course’s emphasis. For example, a research-based assignment may weigh content more heavily, while a language development module may allocate more weight to clarity and coherence.

Supporting Students with Rubrics

Rubrics are also pedagogical tools, not just assessment instruments. Sharing rubrics at the beginning of a task can help students plan effectively, self-monitor progress, and evaluate their own performance. In EMI classrooms, rubrics encourage students to pay attention to both language form and academic meaning, reinforcing deeper learning.