A problem set, sometimes shortened as pset, is a teaching tool used by many

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. Most courses in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, and

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

will regularly give problem sets. They can also appear in other subjects, such as

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

. 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.Course Policy for a physics course at the University of Virginia
Caltech quantum mechanics course page
They are usually issued once every week or two weeks, and due one or two weeks later. If used as part of a summative assessment they are usually given a low

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, between 10% and 25% of the total mark of the course for all problem sets put together, and sometimes will count for nothing if the student receives a better grade on the exam. Alternatively, problem sets may be used purely for

formative assessment Formative assessment, formative evaluation, formative feedback, or assessment for learning, including ''diagnostic testing'', is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to mo ...

and do not count towards a degree. Many students work in groups to solve them and help get a better understanding of the material, but most professors require each student to hand in their own individual problem set. Some professors explicitly encourage collaboration,Ohio State University economics syllabus
/ref> some allow it, and some explicitly disallow it or consider it cheating. Most, however, do not disallow collaboration, because they see the goal as primarily pedagogical. This is to be distinguished from larger, more important assignments, for which students are still expected to work independently. Collaboration on problem sets has caused controversy, including a media storm around a student of

Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU, or Toronto Met), formerly Ryerson University, is a Public university, public research university located in Toronto, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Gar ...

, Chris Avenir, who started a forum on the social networking site

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for others to post their solutions. The professor failed him for his actions and recommended him for expulsion; the university faculty appeal committee overturned the recommended penalty and instead gave a zero grade for the assignments that were done through the course of the semester.

Examples

An example of a typical problem set
from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

's relativity (physics) class
A list of all of the problem sets from that class
on MIT OpenCourseWare. In this case they are collectively worth 20% of the total mark.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Problem Set Higher education Didactics