Writing exceptional (specific, student and criterion-focused) rubrics for nursing studies.

Effective assessment of nurses in higher education is dependent on the interpretation and demonstration of learning outcomes by students and educators/academics. Rubrics can effectively communicate unit learning outcomes to students and may contribute towards the academic rigour of nursing courses, when assessment criteria are articulated clearly and consistently to both students and educators/academics. This paper aims to describe the different types and uses of rubrics, as well as outline the steps required to develop exceptional rubrics whilst using the literature as a basis for suggestions.