Exposing Early CS Majors to Technical Interview Practices in the Form of Group-Based Whiteboard Problem Solving Activities

Edward Dillon; Abigail Dina; Mariah McMichael; Theodore Wimberly Jr.; Lauren Brown; Krystal L. Williams

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: COED: Skills for Moving from Computing Student to Professional
Tagged Division: Computers in Education Division (COED)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43665
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43665
Download Count: 119

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Edward Dillon Morgan State University

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Dr. Dillon received his B.A. in Computer and Informational Science from the University of Mississippi in 2007. He would go on to obtain his Masters and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Alabama in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Dr. Dillon is a newly tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Morgan State University. Prior to his arrival to Morgan State, Dr. Dillon served as a Computer Science Instructor at Jackson State University (2012-2013), and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Clemson University (2013-2014) and the University of Florida (2014-2016). His research focuses on human-centered computing, computer science education, social computing, and broadening participation in computing. Dr. Dillon has received >$750k in research funding and awards from external agencies and non-profit organizations, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Maryland Pre-Service Computer Science Teacher Education Program (MCCE), and the Collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates (CREU - CRA-WP). Dr. Dillon currently serves as a Co-PI for the STARS Computing Corps, which recently has been renewed for funding by NSF. He has also conducted a Faculty in Residency at Google during the summer of 2018 to learn more about this company’s culture, practices, and to understand the expectations for candidates (e.g. aspiring CS majors) who pursue career opportunities at this company and related prominent companies in tech.

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Lauren Brown is a Morgan State University Research Assistant majoring in Computer Science.

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Krystal L. Williams University of Georgia

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Abstract

Upon degree acquisition, computer science (CS) majors with aspirations to pursue a career in industry are faced with the challenge of effectively showcasing their skills to prospective employers and hiring managers. Technical interviews are one approach used by tech companies to comprehensively evaluate a candidate’s skillset and preparation for potential job placement in their respective corporations. A CS major’s inability to showcase appropriate skills and preparation during technical interviews could result in missed opportunities for a lucrative career in tech. This problem potentially contributes to the high job demand in tech and the low supply of prospective graduates to fill them.

Establishing ways to expose CS majors to technical interview practices, and effectively prepare them for success is a growing topic that needs more attention. In academic settings, approaches for gauging technical interview exposure, preparation, and impact on CS majors during matriculation are expanding. Yet, the existence of systematic studies that yield critical details about the impacts of such exposure and preparation over time are needed. Likewise, there are a lack of studies that emphasize relative efforts at earlier stages of student matriculation.

This article discusses a study that exposed early CS majors to technical interview practices in the form of group-based interactive whiteboard problem solving activities. This study was conducted over a span of four semesters (Fall 2020 – Spring 2022). The targeted students for the study were enrolled in either CS2 or an Object-Oriented Programming course at a Mid-Atlantic Historically Black University in the United States. The results revealed that majority of these students completed assigned problem sets from these group-based activities successfully. When gauging psycho-social attributes (such as perception, comfort, and anxiety) exhibited during these activities, the students showed positive perceptions, adequate levels of comfort, and moderate levels of anxiety. It was also found that conceptualizing/understanding the given problem along with the verbal communication with assigned partners were the easiest aspects of these activities. Likewise, coding the actual problem was found to be the hardest aspect. Outcomes from this study contribute to practices that can be adopted to aid early CS majors with technical interview preparation.

Citation
Format

Dillon, E., & Dina, A., & McMichael, M., & Wimberly Jr., T., & Brown, L., & Williams, K. L. (2023, June), Exposing Early CS Majors to Technical Interview Practices in the Form of Group-Based Whiteboard Problem Solving Activities Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43665

TY - CPAPER
AB - Upon degree acquisition, computer science (CS) majors with aspirations to pursue a career in industry are faced with the challenge of effectively showcasing their skills to prospective employers and hiring managers. Technical interviews are one approach used by tech companies to comprehensively evaluate a candidate’s skillset and preparation for potential job placement in their respective corporations. A CS major’s inability to showcase appropriate skills and preparation during technical interviews could result in missed opportunities for a lucrative career in tech. This problem potentially contributes to the high job demand in tech and the low supply of prospective graduates to fill them.

Establishing ways to expose CS majors to technical interview practices, and effectively prepare them for success is a growing topic that needs more attention. In academic settings, approaches for gauging technical interview exposure, preparation, and impact on CS majors during matriculation are expanding. Yet, the existence of systematic studies that yield critical details about the impacts of such exposure and preparation over time are needed. Likewise, there are a lack of studies that emphasize relative efforts at earlier stages of student matriculation.

This article discusses a study that exposed early CS majors to technical interview practices in the form of group-based interactive whiteboard problem solving activities. This study was conducted over a span of four semesters (Fall 2020 – Spring 2022). The targeted students for the study were enrolled in either CS2 or an Object-Oriented Programming course at a Mid-Atlantic Historically Black University in the United States. The results revealed that majority of these students completed assigned problem sets from these group-based activities successfully. When gauging psycho-social attributes (such as perception, comfort, and anxiety) exhibited during these activities, the students showed positive perceptions, adequate levels of comfort, and moderate levels of anxiety. It was also found that conceptualizing/understanding the given problem along with the verbal communication with assigned partners were the easiest aspects of these activities. Likewise, coding the actual problem was found to be the hardest aspect. Outcomes from this study contribute to practices that can be adopted to aid early CS majors with technical interview preparation.

AU - Edward Dillon
AU - Abigail Dina
AU - Mariah McMichael
AU - Theodore Wimberly Jr.
AU - Lauren Brown
AU - Krystal L. Williams
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Exposing Early CS Majors to Technical Interview Practices in the Form of Group-Based Whiteboard Problem Solving Activities
UR - https://peer.asee.org/43665
DO - 10.18260/1-2--43665
ER -