Although the suspect was not identified as a student, Al-Zand said that posting the exam questions was a necessary precaution.

"We didn't want to have the exam compromised and other people have an unfair advantage," he said.

The course's TFs contemplated writing a new exam but decided that three days was too short a time to produce an equally good test.

"We spent a long time writing the two exams that were taken," Al-Zand said. "You write an exam, you think you've written a good exam, you want people to take that exam."

But Al-Zand said he hoped the exam would still accomplish its goals.

"The surprise factor is gone," he said. "[But] all I care about is that people learn the material and take something away from the class. It's not intended to surprise anyone."

In his e-mail message, Wild wrote, "We realize that this necessarily entails a change in your studying approach--and this at a very late stage. Any inconvenience is regretted; the timing of the incident has made it difficult to envisage alternative solutions."