Using interview questions as short-term programming assignments in CS2
Timothy Urness · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2017
In this paper, we describe our experiences with using technical interview questions as the basis for programming assignments in a CS2 course. Several books have been published that chronicle popular questions that have been asked on technical interviews at companies such as Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon. The books are written as a service to professionals interviewing for a job, but they also serve as an excellent set of short exemplar questions from concepts that are typically covered in an introductory programming sequence. We found that the programming assignments based on interview questions were particularly motivating for students. The interview questions, given in short-term programming assignments throughout the semester, resulted in an increased performance on midterm exams and final exams when compared to the performance of students in a section that utilized standard programming assignments.