It is no longer sensible to do differential equations by hand only. That is why computer work has been included in this differential equations class. It is a separate component of the coursework. The assignments are not intended to give you practice for the exams. Their purpose is to expose you to problems for which hand solutions would be unfeasable or tedious.
Maple is the best software tool for doing differential equations.
Since Maple is a general purpose mathematical tool with packages devoted to virtually all quantitative aspects of engineering, mathematics, and the physical sciences, Maple skills acquired now will be useful in all your future work. Many students coming from Math 233 will have learned some Matlab. It should be noted that Matlab is a numerical package that does only a few of the things that Maple does. Doing the assignments will help with your overall understanding of even the by-hand computations of the subject. However, some students do not recognize that.