This text examines educational criticism and assessment with an emphasis on the new media arts. The article shares with readers the versatile, abridged to four points criteria, based on a research on assessment made by students, faculty, and non-art-related professionals, thus providing a preliminary tool for the use in the classroom environment. An inductive argument is proposed--that advances in science, information technologies, and new media arts may alter current thinking about criticism, aesthetics, art appreciation, and even philosophy of art. Contemporary media art can be viewed in a historical perspective and changes occurring in art criticism are examined as a systematic description, analysis, interpretation and evaluation of an artwork content and message, and assessment as an evaluation of the nature and quality of a product and the ability of its author.