Project Title

Phuong Vu

It is crucial for institutions to provide students with the tools necessary to succeed in technical interviews in a time when computer science graduates face heightened competition for lucrative employment in the software sector as a result of hiring freezes and widespread layoffs. This project aims to address the widespread issue of University of Washington Bothell (UWB) Computing and Software Systems (CSS) students feeling unprepared for job interviews despite the program's excellent foundation in core classes and optional courses.

My Capstone project was created to research and offer systematic advice in addressing programming issues since it was realized how crucial problem-solving skills were in technical interviews. The course used well-known platforms like LeetCode to demonstrate numerous solutions to common interview questions in order to educate CSS students on diverse problem-solving strategies. In addition, a series of seminars were held to evaluate students' problem-solving skills and highlight typical problems.

In order to further clarify my statement, I conducted a small survey on 10 CSS students to assess their readiness in technical interviews, as well as the effect of Leetcode “workshop session” during Professor Pisan’s lecture upon their problem-solving interests and skills. The result showed that many CSS undergraduates lacked the abilities necessary to approach and handle coding issues successfully. However, students showed a considerable increase in their problem-solving skills after attending these Leetcode sessions, which were beneficial for improving academic performance and gaining insight into technical interviews.

The survey proposes two potential approaches for incorporating problem-solving lessons into the CSS curriculum based on its findings. The first strategy is to incorporate Leetcode problems which are related to the class’s current concept into already-existing core subjects like CSS 342 and CSS 343. This has been proven through Professor Pisan’s lectures, which enable students to hone these abilities in addition to their academic studies. The second alternative is to develop a special CSS skills course that is devoted to problem-solving principles, giving students in-depth instruction in this crucial subject.

The CSS program at UWB may better prepare its students for technical interviews by incorporating these problem-solving activities, bridging the gap between academic understanding and industry expectations. Giving students the ability to solve problems improves not just their professional chances but also the CSS division's standing as a source of graduates who are prepared for the workforce. The need for a well-rounded education that covers both the theoretical ideas and the practical abilities needed in the developing software industry is highlighted by this study.

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