Exercises/assignments in learning materials be it courses or related items serve four purposes. Related: https://lnkd.in/gmBBSRB
The first is the consolidation of knowledge. Exercises should help students remember what they learnt. Just going over a material does not mean getting it. Exercises help students go back and see what the lesson was about.
The second purpose is the verification of knowledge. Testing for edge cases for example assume that whatever the student think he knows is actually true. It’s aim is to check assumptions.
The third purpose is use case application. The knowledge gained should be applied to solve problems. Scientific knowledge for the sake of it with no use might not be fruitful.
The fourth purpose is about testing which solution is the best. In coding particularly, just solving a problem does not mean it’s a solution to be used. Testing against harder problems is among others a way to filter out the best people having knowledge.
These four purposes can be joined in a single multi-part assignment or given as a series of exercises.