GTCC student wins grade appeal after online exam error

A missing online final exam at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown nearly pushed Kwisha Wade off track before a screenshot she saved helped overturn the grade dispute and restore her B in the class.

Wade, who is studying healthcare management, said she submitted the final and kept proof on her phone. The class record later showed the exam as missing, and her grade fell to a D, a setback that carried real consequences for any student trying to finish a degree, keep momentum and move toward better-paying work.

The stakes were especially high for Wade because she has Ménière’s disease, a chronic inner-ear disorder that can cause vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Wade said she entered the program because she wanted a career path that could work around those health challenges.

After Wade reached out to school administrators and sent emails without getting the result she wanted, the issue was reviewed more closely. The college concluded there had likely been confusion between two separate exams, and Wade was allowed to complete the missing test. Her final grade rose to a B.

GTCC said the matter was resolved through its established grade-related complaint process. The college tells online students with grade-related complaints to use the formal student complaint process, and its policy says faculty and staff attempt in good faith to resolve complaints as they arise. GTCC also lists Jeremy D. Bennett, D.P.A., associate vice president for instruction, as the contact for complaint questions.

The case puts a spotlight on how much can turn on documentation and access to a clear appeals path. A screenshot helped Wade prove she had done her part, but the episode also raises broader questions about whether every GTCC student would know how to challenge a grading error before it affects graduation, transfer plans or financial aid.

GTCC says it serves more than 30,000 students annually from six campuses and is the third-largest of the 58 colleges in the North Carolina Community College System. The college offers more than 180 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs, including a Medical Office Administration-Healthcare Administration AAS that can be completed in traditional, hybrid or fully online format.

That program is built for front-line supervisor, office manager and patient services coordinator roles in medical and dental offices, hospitals and insurance companies. Its online option makes the safeguards around grading, records and complaint review just as important as the coursework itself.

GTCC opened in 1958 with 50 students and two classes. More than six decades later, the college still depends on systems that are supposed to protect students when technology, records or communication break down.