Most courses in physics, math, engineering, chemistry, and computer science will give problem sets on a regular basis.
It is essentially a list of several mildly difficult problems or exercises based on material already taught, which the student is expected to solve with a full written solution.
There is no further research involved, and the goal is to learn and become familiar with the material and solving typical problems.
[4][5] If used as part of a summative assessment they are usually given a low weight,[6] between 10% and 25% of the total mark of the course for all problem sets put together,[3][5] and sometimes will count for nothing if the student receives a better grade on the exam.
Collaboration on problem sets has caused controversy, including a media storm around a student of Toronto Metropolitan University, Chris Avenir, who started a forum on the social networking site Facebook for others to post their solutions.