Implementation and Evaluation of Technical Interview Preparation Activities in a Data Structures and Algorithms Course

Abstract

This experience report describes and evaluates the introduction of Hire Thy Gator technical interview preparation activities in a Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) course. Our intervention included a panel on internship experiences, a role-play interview demonstration, two participatory mock interview preparation exercises where students interviewed each other first using self-selected peers and second through random pair-ups, and graded short programming problems. We (1) explain the logistics and rationale for embedding these activities, (2) describe the lessons learned and evolution of the activities beyond the intervention semester, and (3) evaluate the impact of these activities on students. We report data from 257 students who participated in our intervention and 106 students who were a part of a control group. Students found that our activities promoted awareness of the recruitment process, allowed them to self-evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and prepared them for technical interviews. Quantitatively, the intervention cohort reported a higher average normalized confidence gain (0.42) than the control group (0.36) indicating that our activities can aid in building students' confidence.