Quantum computing is a growing field at the intersection of physics and computer science. The goal of this article is to highlight a successfully trialled quantum computing course for high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. This course was designed to bridge the gap between popular science articles and advanced undergraduate textbooks. Conceptual ideas in the text are reinforced with active learning techniques, such as interactive problem sets and simulation-based labs at various levels. The course is freely available for use and download under the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International” license.
Quantum computing is a growing field at the intersection of physics and computer science. The goal of this article is to highlight a successfully trialled quantum computing course for high school students between the ages of 15 and 18 years old. This course was designed to bridge the gap between popular science articles and advanced undergraduate textbooks. Conceptual ideas in the text are reinforced with active learning techniques, such as interactive problem sets and simulation-based labs at various levels. The course is freely available for use and download under the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International” license.
Quantum computing is aninterdisciplinary field that lies at the intersection of mathematics, quantum physics, and computer science, and finds applications in areas including optimization, machine learning, and simulation of chemical, physical, and biological systems. It has the potential to help solve problems that so far have no satisfying method solving them, and to provide significant speedup to solutions when compared with their best classical approaches. In turn, quantum computing may allow us to solve problems for inputs that so far are deemed practically intractable. With the computational power of quantum computers and the proliferation of quantum development kits, quantum computing is anticipated to become mainstream, and the demand for a skilled workforce in quantum computing is expected to increase significantly. Therefore, quantum computing education is ramping up. This article describes our experiences in designing and delivering quantum computing workshops for youth (Grades 9–12). We introduce students to the world of quantum computing in innovative ways, such as newly designed unplugged activities for teaching basic quantum computing concepts. We also take a programmatic approach and introduce students to the IBM Quantum Experience using Qiskit and Jupyter notebooks. Our contributions are as follows. First, we present creative ways to teach quantum computing to youth with little or no experience in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas; second, we discuss diversity and highlight various pathways into quantum computing from quantum software to quantum hardware; and third, we discuss the design and delivery of online and in-person motivational, introductory, and advanced workshops for youth.
Quantum computing is an emerging field with growing implications across science and industry, making early educational exposure increasingly important. This paper examines how quantum computing concepts can be introduced into high-school STEM curricula within existing structures to enhance foundational learning in mathematics, computer science, and physics. We outline a modular integration strategy introducing key quantum ideas into standard courses, leveraging open-source educational resources to ensure global accessibility. Emphasis is placed on educational opportunity and equity: the approach is designed to be inclusive and to bridge current curricular gaps so that students worldwide can develop basic quantum literacy. Our analysis demonstrates that integrating quantum topics at the secondary level is feasible and can enrich STEM learning.
Quantum Computing (QC) is an active area of current research and technological development, receiving increasing government funding and exposure in popular media. Should we teach the foundations of Quantum Computing to high school students? If so, how can we do it effectively? This talk will present some foundational concepts of QC and survey of recent advances. Additionally, there will be a review of the available resources and activities that can be incorporated in teaching QC at the secondary or college level. The activities include Quantum Tic-Tac-Toe to introduce quantum mechanics, programming “Schrodinger worm” on a IBMQ online platform, and quantum cryptography using Stern-Gerlach experiment. High school physics teachers have developed these activities during their summer internship at Fermilab under the guidance of theory group researchers.
As quantum computers are becoming available for experiments, their enormous potential is being recognized among college communities. The goal of introducing quantum computing in college level computer science programs is becoming attractive. However, this goal comes with opportunities and challenges. of the challenges is that quantum computing appears to require substantial background in physics as well as in computer science. However, it is hard to convince students to major in these two fields. Computer Science students with a minor in physics can also be considered. Several alternative curriculum structures are possible. A non-consecutive two-course framework is proposed here. A course on Introduction to Quantum Computing may be offered to sophomore level students. This introductory course may teach fundamental ideas about quantum computing with basic concepts behind BQP (Bounded Error Quantum Polynomial) and related topics. This introductory course may be followed up by some physics courses (on related topics such as quantum mechanics) and some computer science courses. Then, a senior level course on Advanced Quantum Computing may be offered that may include some well-known algorithms (such as Shor's Algorithm for Quantum Factorization and Grover's Algorithm for Quantum Search) and their implementation and practices on some simulators (such as QuIDE from http://www.quide.eu/) or some prototype quantum processors (such as IBM's prototype quantum processors). For advanced level courses, some course materials are available from various sources (such as MIT OpenCourseWare). The greater challenge would be in teaching the introductory course mentioned earlier that motivates students towards investing time and efforts in learning quantum computing and related physics, math and computational topics. The challenges of teaching the introductory course should not be underestimated. Some flexible strategies can be suggested for this course so that the biggest challenges can be overcome. Some initial assessments of the students may help adjusting the introduction strategies with student's preparation. What is recommended is that the instructor should be able to adjust the coverage of topics, rigor and depth of treatment. That is, the introductory course should not be rigidly defined. It should be recognized that the main emphasis of the introductory course is actually instilling motivations and curiosity in student's mind about potentials of quantum computing through adaptive teaching of some selected topics where traditional digital computers do not provide tractable solutions. Ideally a balance could be achieved among aspects of depth of treatment, rigor, inspiration, motivation and coverage of topics. Students should be able to realize that the emerging quantum computing technology would be able to provide elegant solutions to some of the classical intractable problems combining ideas from physics, math and computer science in an innovative way. One size fits all is not a good approach and discussion of issues may help us face the challenges better by pragmatically considering a range of possible alternatives. Resources that are currently available may also need to be reviewed for the purpose of introducing quantum computing adequately.
This study aims to design and implement a quantum computing education program suitable for high school students, given the growing significance of quantum computing in diverse scientific and industrial fields. While quantum computing is rapidly gaining attention for its potential to revolutionize computational speed and address complex problems, the gap in early education for pre-university students remains notable, especially in South Korea. This research examined international and domestic trends in quantum computing education, developed an activity-based curriculum integrating simulation tools and collaborative problem solving, and applied it to a group of high school students. Through pre- and post-program surveys, activity sheets, and qualitative feedback, the results show a significant increase in students’ understanding and interest in quantum computing concepts such as superposition, entanglement, and quantum gates. The study highlights that an experiential, STEAM-integrated approach using visual and hands-on resources effectively lowers conceptual barriers and enhances engagement. However, challenges such as a lack of prior knowledge and limited educational materials persist. The research suggests policy and curriculum improvements as well as extended teacher training are required to bridge the global educational gap in quantum computing, and indicates that systematic integration of quantum concepts at the high school level is both feasible and impactful.