Using Topcoder in Introductory Data Structures and Algorithms

Adam Disney and James S. Plank, EECS Department, University of Tennessee.

The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Volume 33, #2, December, 2017, pp. 268-274.

Abstract

Beginning computer science students often struggle with the motivation behind different data structures and algorithms. It’s helpful to have examples and practice problems that are not simply descriptions of singular algorithms. Some examples include problems that require more than one data structure and/or algorithm, problems that require modifications to standard data structures and/or algorithms, and problems that require attention to efficiency both in time and space. The Topcoder competitive coding platform can be an excellent resource to provide these examples and can be used in several ways in the classroom. In this paper, we detail our experience with Topcoder in several classes and from several perspectives.

Citation Information

Plain Text:

.article  dp:17:tid
author    A. Disney and J. S. Plank
title     Using Topcoder in Introductory Data Structures and Algorithms
journal   Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
volume    33
number    2
month     December
year      2017
pages     268--274
where     web.eecs.utk.edu/~jplank/plank/papers/CCSC-2017.html

Bibtex:

@ARTICLE{dp:17:tid,
  author = "A. Disney and J. S. Plank",
  title = "Using {Topcoder} in Introductory Data Structures and Algorithms",
  journal = "Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges",
  volume = "33",
  number = "2",
  month = "December",
  year = "2017",
  pages = "268--274",
  where = "http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~jplank/plank/papers/CCSC-2017.html"
}