noun
freeform assignment; open-ended project
Often refers to a school assignment where students choose their own topic, especially a long-term project during summer vacation.
夏休みの自由課題で、昆虫の観察日記をつけた。
For my summer vacation freeform assignment, I kept an insect observation diary.
自由課題は何をやってもいいので、逆に悩んでしまう。
Since you can do anything for the open-ended project, it actually makes me worry about what to choose.
Compound of 自由 (freedom) and 課題 (assignment, task).