Using a proprietary virtual learning environment (VLE), students in an information systems principles course can create exam questions and answers, and grade other students’ work in answering these questions. Wu, Bieber, and Hiltz call this the asynchronous participatory exam (APE) system.

Each student is given two questions to answer. An instructor oversees the creation of questions and answers, and moderates in grading disputes. Students discuss peer work as the questions develop. The paper presents results of five surveys, from 240 students, carried out between 1999 and 2002. The results show that the APE motivates students.

The educational theory that motivates the work is not well thought out. Exams are seen as a passive form of learning for students, rather than a way of consolidating learning for the individual, which allows for constructivist learning and the synthesis and remaking of subject knowledge that takes place during revision.

APE is an interesting way to use computers to support teaching and learning, but the presented research leaves me skeptical. First, is this an exam or a different form of assessment; and is the grading process used to create a final mark for each student? Second, example questions would have been useful, as it is difficult to gauge the level the students are supposed to attain via this method. For example, was the student expected to show critical abilities or solve a small problem? Third, the authors claim that the APE liberates instructors, allowing them to focus on teaching students how to design good exam questions. Even if better conversations about the subject matter can take place by focusing on the meta-level education process, this seems to be replacing teaching about the content of the course with teaching how to write and answer exam questions.