COMP 250 Introduction to Computer Science

I was a TA for COMP 250 Introduction to Computer Science at McGill University. COMP 250 is a foundational course introducing students to programming, algorithms, and data structures in Java. It is a large, highly structured course that emphasizes both conceptual understanding and practical problem-solving.

In Fall 2025, I served as an interviewer TA, responsible for assessing students through a series of technical interviews designed to evaluate their problem-solving, programming fluency, and algorithmic reasoning. My responsibilities included:

• Conducting three rounds of 15-minute mini-interviews and one final 45-minute technical interview per student.
• Preparing solution outlines and follow-up questions tailored to each stage of the course.
• Providing feedback on student performance and reasoning approaches.
• Participating in weekly teaching staff meetings and maintaining communication through Slack.
• Assisting with midterm invigilation and grading.

This role provided an opportunity to observe a wide range of student problem-solving strategies and to refine my ability to evaluate programming competency in real time. It also strengthened my ability to ask pedagogically meaningful follow-up questions, balancing assessment with mentorship.