I'm not saying it necessarily is a simple mapping, but I think it's easier for people to misunderstand the relationship since both are effectively "point based"

I'm not saying it necessarily is a simple mapping, but I think it's easier for people to misunderstand the relationship since both are effectively "point based". Can an XP based system be any different than those teachers who say upfront that each quiz or test or question or whathaveyou is worth X number of points? If you need a certain number of XP to pass the class, and you don't gain enough at a critical juncture in the course, do you get a chance to make it up? Doing away with the time component of class based instruction, where exams are administered at given, set times, and you just need to prove that you know the material come the last day of class, would be an XP based system. I've had teachers do that before. Really, expecting students to make specific progress at a specific rate over the semester, as codified in regular exams, is a way to avoid having to deal with teaching different things at different times to a group of students, in the name of efficiency.