Hile giving her students a physics exam, professor thompson noticed that jack, one of her students who has been struggling with the course material, appeared to be copying answers from graydon, one of the best students in the class. she decides that she should compare their answers when the class period is over before deciding what to do about the situation. in which phase of the ethical decision-making process is professor thompson?

Gathering information

Explanation: Ethical decision making involves evaluating and choosing among different options in a way that is consistent with ethical principles. The best way to do this is to eliminate the unethical choices and choose the best alternative option.

There are various steps involved in this process. These are listed below:

1. Gather info

2. Define the ethical problem

3. Identify the parties that are affected

4. Identify the consequences

5. Identify the the principles

6. Evaluate the options

7. Choose the best option

8. Implement the decision

Professor Thompson has decided to wait until the class period ends, take both tests and compare their answers. After that she will decide what to do about the situation. Professor Thompson has thus entered the first step, which is to gather information. She doesn't want to jump to conclusions without gathering all the facts, so she is going to acquire as much info as she can about the situation before continuing. All these points add to the fact that Professor Thompson is entering the first step towards making the best ethical decision.