"Soon after I became a professor, I discovered that about half of one of my classes had cheated on the final and shared answers. While I knew cheating was not okay, I also wondered if these students cheated because I had not prepared them properly for the test. I also knew that several of these students would be suspended if they were caught cheating and could lose scholarships. I decided to discuss the issue with my department head, and we decided to speak with each student individually to assess why they had chosen to cheat. Ultimately, after speaking with the students, we realized that most of them cheated for fear of being put on academic probation if they didn't do well on the final. We decided not to report them but did make each student separately retake the exam. We also held a separate one-hour study course to help them prepare. From this situation, I learned the importance of assessing student understanding throughout the semester to make sure that students who needed additional help could get it. I also learned the importance of communicating directly. I have carried this into many professional situations since."
