Abstract The revolutionary new field of quantum computing (QC) continues to gain attention in industry, academia, and government in both research and education. At educational institutions, there is a proliferation of introductory courses at various academic levels signaling a growing interest and recognition of the significance of this field. A crucial and often overlooked aspect is the development of research-based materials and pedagogical approaches to effectively teach the complexities of QC to diverse cohorts of learners across multiple disciplines. There is a great need for empirical investigations of the effectiveness of learning materials and pedagogical approaches in this new interdisciplinary field. We present an empirical investigation done at an R1 institution using the multiple case study method. We compare a case study on students in an introductory QC course without research-based mini-tutorials to a study of students taking the QC course with research-based mini-tutorials. We compare the strengths and difficulties of students in the two courses, discuss the general strengths and difficulties of students across both courses, postulate the effectiveness of the mini-tutorials and discuss how they can be revised. Strengths across both classes include the ability to apply single-qubit and two-qubit gates, favoring application of Dirac notation, and a reasonable understanding of normalization, probability and teleportation described qualitatively. Difficulties across both classes included use of matrix representation, use of rotation gates, and an ability to recall and analyze quantitatively a circuit representing teleportation. We postulate that the mini-tutorials on gates, normalization, probability and a qualitative description of teleportation may have been effective in increasing students’ understanding of the concepts. We also identify mini-tutorials that may need revision.
Abstract The revolutionary new field of quantum computing (QC) continues to gain attention in industry, academia, and government in both research and education. At educational institutions, there is a proliferation of introductory courses at various academic levels signaling a growing interest and recognition of the significance of this field. A crucial and often overlooked aspect is the development of research-based materials and pedagogical approaches to effectively teach the complexities of QC to diverse cohorts of learners across multiple disciplines. There is a great need for empirical investigations of the effectiveness of learning materials and pedagogical approaches in this new interdisciplinary field. We present an empirical investigation done at an R1 institution using the multiple case study method. We compare a case study on students in an introductory QC course without research-based mini-tutorials to a study of students taking the QC course with research-based mini-tutorials. We compare the strengths and difficulties of students in the two courses, discuss the general strengths and difficulties of students across both courses, postulate the effectiveness of the mini-tutorials and discuss how they can be revised. Strengths across both classes include the ability to apply single-qubit and two-qubit gates, favoring application of Dirac notation, and a reasonable understanding of normalization, probability and teleportation described qualitatively. Difficulties across both classes included use of matrix representation, use of rotation gates, and an ability to recall and analyze quantitatively a circuit representing teleportation. We postulate that the mini-tutorials on gates, normalization, probability and a qualitative description of teleportation may have been effective in increasing students’ understanding of the concepts. We also identify mini-tutorials that may need revision.
Quantum Computing is an exciting field that draws from information theory, computer science, mathematics, and quantum physics to process information in fundamentally new ways. There is an ongoing race to develop practical/reliable quantum computers and increase the quantum workforce. This needs to be accompanied by the development of quantum computing programs, courses and curricula coupled with the development and adoption of evidence-based materials and pedagogies to support the education of the next generation of quantum information scientists and workforce. At our university, we introduced an introductory course in Quantum Computing to undergraduate students and conducted a case study to investigate the strengths and difficulties of these students in quantum computing after taking the introductory course. Our goal is to contribute to the improvement of quantum computing education while understanding the topics that the students find easy to comprehend and topics that are difficult to comprehend. We conducted a series of interviews to identify these strengths and difficulties. This investigation is essential to help train the next generation of quantum scientists and researchers because it gives information and direction to quantum computing education, and it also helps us to develop research-based teaching and learning materials. We report on the results of these interviews and our initial work on the development of evidence-based materials for teaching an introductory course in Quantum Computing.
[This paper is part of the Focused Collection in Investigating and Improving Quantum Education through Research.] Quantum information science and engineering (QISE) is a rapidly developing field that leverages the skills of experts from many disciplines to utilize the potential of quantum systems in a variety of applications. It requires talent from a wide variety of traditional fields, including physics, engineering, chemistry, and computer science, to name a few. To prepare students for such opportunities, it is important to give them a strong foundation in the basics of QISE, in which quantum computing plays a central role. In this study, we discuss the development, validation, and evaluation of a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial, on the basics and applications of quantum computing. These include an overview of key quantum mechanical concepts relevant to quantum computation (including ways a quantum computer is different from a classical computer), properties of single- and multiqubit systems, and the basics of single-qubit quantum gates. The tutorial uses guided inquiry-based teaching-learning sequences. Its development and validation involved conducting cognitive task analysis from both expert and student perspectives and using common student difficulties as a guide. For example, before engaging with the tutorial, after traditional lecture-based instruction, one reasoning primitive that was common in student responses is that a major difference between an N -bit classical and N -qubit quantum computer is that various things associated with a number N for a classical computer should be replaced with the number 2 N for a quantum computer (e.g., 2 N qubits must be initialized and 2 N bits of information are obtained as the output of the computation on the quantum computer). This type of reasoning primitive also led many students to incorrectly think that there are only N distinctly different states available when computation takes place on a classical computer. Research suggests that this type of reasoning primitive has its origins in students learning that quantum computers can provide exponential advantage for certain problems, e.g., Shor’s algorithm for factoring products of large prime numbers, and that the quantum state during the computation can be in a superposition of 2 N linearly independent states. The inquiry-based learning sequences in the tutorial provide scaffolding support to help students develop a functional understanding. The final version of the validated tutorial was implemented in two distinct courses offered by the physics department with slightly different student populations and broader course goals. Students’ understanding was evaluated after traditional lecture-based instruction on the requisite concepts and again after engaging with the tutorial. We analyze and discuss their improvement in performance on concepts covered in the tutorial. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
This thesis investigates how a hands-on introductory Quantum Computing (QC) course can be effectively designed for students of Computer Science and Media (CSM) at a University of Applied Sciences (UAS). Using a mixed-methods approach - including a literature review, focus group discussions, and a student survey - the study addresses five core research questions concerning course content, abstraction level, instructional methodology, and tool selection. The findings highlight that foundational quantum computing concepts (e.g. superposition, entanglement, interference) should be prioritized, while complex mathematical formulations may be omitted without impairing students’ practical understanding. The research supports a moderately abstract, application-driven course structure, combining theoretical foundations with hands-on programming using tools such as IBM Composer and Qiskit. Both students and lecturers emphasized the importance of accessible, cost-efficient platforms with strong visual and interactive elements. The proposed course framework promotes project-based learning, flexibility, and just-in-time theoretical instruction, accommodating the varied backgrounds of CSM students. This work contributes to the growing field of quantum education in non-physics domains and offers a blueprint for interdisciplinary, practice-oriented QC instruction. Future research is encouraged to incorporate industry perspectives, assess long-term learning outcomes, and expand course content to include topics like quantum ethics.
Quantum Computing (QC) is often challenging for beginners due to its abstract concepts and mathematical foundations. This paper explores the use of gamification to support the learning of introductory QC concepts. To investigate this, QubitQuest was developed as a set of three educational mini-games designed to teach key QC topics: the Bloch sphere, entanglement, and quantum circuits. The mini-games aim to balance engagement, motivation, and learning while introducing concepts in small and focused units of progressive difficulty. A two-phase user study was conducted to evaluate the mini-games. In the first phase, a preliminary survey was conducted to gather information on learners' preferences and inform the design of the mini-games. In the second phase, participants played the mini-games and completed pre- and post-game questionnaires to assess their learning. The results show that participants improved their understanding of introductory QC concepts after playing the mini-games, with post-game scores higher than pre-game scores. Those who completed more levels achieved higher post-game scores, indicating that motivation and engagement influenced the learning outcomes. These findings suggest that mini-games may improve students' learning experience and outcomes when exposed to introductory QC concepts.
We present a practical course targeting graduate students with prior knowledge of the basics of quantum computing. The practical aims to deepen students' understanding of fundamental concepts in quantum computing by implementing quantum circuit simulators. Through hands-on experience, students learn about different methods to simulate quantum computing, including state vectors, density matrices, the stabilizer formalism, and matrix product states. By implementing the simulation methods themselves, students develop a more in-depth understanding of fundamental concepts in quantum computing, including superposition, entanglement, and the effects of noise on quantum systems. This hands-on experience prepares students to do research in the field of quantum computing and equips them with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle complex research projects in the field. In this work, we describe our teaching approach and the structure of our practical, and we discuss evaluations and lessons learned.
Investments in quantum technologies, which are based on the effects of quantum mechanics, have escalated in recent years, with big players such as IBM, Google, and Microsoft engaging in the race for quantum supremacy. Some potential benefits of this cutting-edge technology include developing new drugs and materials through accurate molecule simulation, establishing more secure and reliable communication channels, and finding faster solutions for complex optimization problems. As quantum technologies evolve, however, the demand for new software, interfaces, and end-to-end systems to properly program and explore the advantages of quantum mechanics becomes paramount. This requires engineers, especially software engineers, and computer scientists, to have multidisciplinary knowledge and skills. Unfortunately, introductory quantum computing and technologies courses are mostly available in physics, and most engineering and computer science courses do not have modules on quantum physics, leading to a talent gap in the current job market. Therefore, this paper proposes a short teaching plan for introducing quantum computing to students with a more technology-based background, such as computer science and engineering students. This plan uses active learning methodologies, such as Challege-Based Teaching, to better engage these students and contextualize the many applications of this new technology. The initial teaching plan consists of a 3-hour seminar introducing the main quantum mechanics concepts and the technology applications, a 3-hour introduction to the math fundamentals and quantum logic gates, and a 3-hour handson workshop using the IBM Qiskit platform. Two versions of this plan were executed in two different moments: (1) a one-day event open to undergraduate students from different institutions and backgrounds, and (2) a 3-day internal training course for computer science and information technology management undergraduate students from our higher education institution. Data was collected during both events through online forms and interviews to measure the learning outcomes of the produced material and better understand the public interest in the field. The results identified key elements for better teaching quantum computing for computer scientists and engineers, providing guidelines for developing a more extensive and term-long teaching plan for undergraduate technology courses.