This study theoretically and empirically substantiates the effectiveness of using criterion
referenced assessment rubrics for evaluating students‘ independent work in Organic Chemistry. The
aim of the research was to determine the impact of assessment criteria for educational products
presented in the form of a presentation, poster, and mind map on learning outcomes. The criterion
based assessment rubrics were aligned with the Bloom-Anderson taxonomy levels and designed to
comprehensively measure the skills of remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing,
evaluating, and creating new products. The study was conducted during the Fall semester of the
2025-2026 academic year with 18 students majoring in Chemistry (9+9), all of whom were treated
as experimental groups. The students prepared three visual learning products on the topic ―Alkanes.‖ The rubrics were provided in advance, and the descriptors were oriented toward
assessing specific competencies.
The results indicated that students‘ academic performance varied depending on the dominant
competencies required by each format. The first group demonstrated consistently high performance
across all formats, whereas the second group achieved higher results in concise visual formats
(poster and mind map) but scored comparatively lower in the presentation task. These findings
confirm that criterion-referenced assessment allows for a comprehensive measurement of scientific
communication skills, visual and digital literacy, ecological reasoning, and research competence.
The use of rubrics ensured academic fairness, reduced subjectivity, increased learning motivation,
and fostered reflective learning practices. Based on these results, the systematic implementation of
criterion-referenced assessment for independent work in Organic Chemistry is recommended as an
effective pedagogical tool for improving the quality of chemical education