Critical deciding factors and contributors which influence student perceptions around fair assessment

This preliminary investigation explores the factors that students consider when
determining the fairness of assessment (examinations, written assignments and
presentations). As will be shown, previous investigations have sought student
perceptions of what might constitute fair assessment (FA). However, this investigation explored actual claims made by students and lecturers' lived experiences of student complaints regarding FA. Although this is only a short preliminary investigation, the data suggests that the critical point for judging whether an assessment is fair or not occurs post-grading.
The data highlighted three contributors that influence student decisions, namely:
grade, effort and comparison. This suggests that some previous investigations into into student perceptions of FA are in contradiction to students actual judgements of FA. It also appears that students assess the fairness of grades rather than the fairness of assessments, indicating that students perceive marking and assessment as separate entities. This brings into question the appropriateness of question nine (Q9) of the National Student Survey (NSS), 'marking and assessment has been fair,' which clearly sees marking and assessment as one entity. This investigation recommends that further research into the Critical Deciding Factor (CDF) and the contributors that influence student decisions to claim unfair assessment is required.