> Gibson did say he wasn't using this as an opportunity to mock his students. He added that after he confronted them about the cheating, he gave them the opportunity to contest their grade. Only two did, though the fact that any of them tried to argue their case is pretty surprising.

This it the root of the problem. Gibson is concerned about mocking his students? How about failing them on the course for academic dishonesty?

If you treat cheating as an oopsie in school, that attitude continues into the real world.