Understanding Criteria Development: A Rationale and Method for Instruction

Abstract

One of the most neglected topics in Technical Communication textbooks and professional articles is the concept of criteria development. Most approaches to teaching criteria development tend to be prescriptive, overly superficial, and, at times, confusing and misleading. One can develop criteria for evaluating the relative merits of potential solutions to problems only after a thorough problem analysis. Criteria themselves derive from two sources: assumptions drawn from the conditions of the problem itself and external constraints that create additional barriers to problem solutions. This article provides a rationale for emphasizing methods of teaching criteria development and describes a heuristic for identifying relevant criteria. Such an approach also addresses national concerns that we develop teaching methods that allow students to think logically, systematically, and analytically.