Entanglement is at the heart of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum networking.These technologies are developed by interdisciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, software developers, and other scientists.As a result, quantum concepts, such as entanglement, are essential to introduce to a wide range of disciplines.In response, many universities have implemented quantum information science and engineering (QISE) courses for undergraduate students.These QISE courses present quantum concepts to students from diverse disciplines at an introductory level, whereas previously, they were reserved for advanced physics courses.We interviewed students who had recently completed an introductory QISE course to investigate their conceptual and mathematical understanding of entanglement.We found that entanglement was most strongly associated with the idea of correlation between measurements, while only some students productively used the mathematical criterion of whether or not a quantum state was factorable.
Entanglement is at the heart of emerging technologies such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum networking.These technologies are developed by interdisciplinary teams of engineers, physicists, software developers, and other scientists.As a result, quantum concepts, such as entanglement, are essential to introduce to a wide range of disciplines.In response, many universities have implemented quantum information science and engineering (QISE) courses for undergraduate students.These QISE courses present quantum concepts to students from diverse disciplines at an introductory level, whereas previously, they were reserved for advanced physics courses.We interviewed students who had recently completed an introductory QISE course to investigate their conceptual and mathematical understanding of entanglement.We found that entanglement was most strongly associated with the idea of correlation between measurements, while only some students productively used the mathematical criterion of whether or not a quantum state was factorable.
Quantum entanglement is a central concept of quantum theory for multiple particles.Entanglement played an important role in the development of the foundations of the theory and makes possible modern applications in quantum information technology.As part of the QuVis Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project, we developed an interactive simulation Entanglement: The nature of quantum correlations using two-particle entangled spin states.We investigated student understanding of entanglement at the introductory and advanced undergraduate levels by collecting student activity and posttest responses using two versions of the simulation and carrying out a small number of student interviews.Common incorrect ideas found include statements that all entangled states must be maximally entangled (i.e.show perfect correlations or anticorrelations along all common measurement axes), that the spins of particles in a product state must have definite values (cannot be in a superposition state with respect to spin) and difficulty factorizing product states.Outcomes from this work will inform further development of the QuVis Entanglement simulation.
Important concepts from the diverse fields of physics, mathematics, engineering and computer science coalesce in this foundational text on the cutting-edge field of quantum information. Designed for undergraduate and graduate students with any STEM background, and written by a highly experienced author team, this textbook draws on quantum mechanics, number theory, computer science technologies, and more, to delve deeply into learning about qubits, the building blocks of quantum information, and how they are used in quantum computing and quantum algorithms. The pedagogical structure of the chapters features exercises after each section as well as focus boxes, giving students the benefit of additional background and applications without losing sight of the big picture. Recommended further reading and answers to select exercises further support learning. Written in approachable and conversational prose, this text offers a comprehensive treatment of the exciting field of quantum information while remaining accessible to students and researchers within all STEM disciplines.
The rapid growth of quantum information science and technology (QIST) presents unique educational challenges as it brings together students and researchers from many disciplines. This work presents findings from in-depth interviews with leading quantum researchers who are also educators, whose perspectives provide guidance for developing a framework for interdisciplinary QIST teaching and builds on our earlier paper that focused on QIST courses and curricula. We discuss quantum educators’ reflections on three critical aspects of QIST education: (1) the development of a common interdisciplinary language, (2) determining appropriate levels of abstraction and physical detail for diverse student populations from various disciplines, and (3) why students should pursue courses, degrees, and careers in this rapidly evolving field. Our analysis reveals that the emergence of linguistic evolutions such as “qubits” and “measurement bases”, rather than a focus on measurement of physical observables and their corresponding Hermitian operators, has begun to create a unifying framework that transcends disciplinary boundaries. Nevertheless, educators face ongoing challenges in balancing the level of abstractness with physical details as well as mathematical rigor with conceptual accessibility, particularly when teaching foundational QIST courses to an interdisciplinary group of students. The experts emphasize that successful QIST education for an interdisciplinary student body not only requires a shift from traditional quantum mechanics pedagogy for physics majors, but careful consideration of students’ diverse prior conceptual and mathematical foundations overall. They encourage students to pursue QIST related courses, degrees, and careers, highlighting the unique historical opportunity to participate in creating transformative quantum technologies while developing transferable skills for an evolving technological landscape. These findings provide valuable guidance for developing a framework for interdisciplinary QIST teaching especially useful for foundational courses.
Addressing workforce shortages within the Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) community requires attracting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds early on in their undergraduate education. Here, we describe a course we developed called Hello Quantum World! that introduces a broad range of fundamental quantum information and computation concepts in a rigorous way but without requiring any knowledge of mathematics beyond high-school algebra nor any prior knowledge of quantum mechanics. Some of the topics covered include superposition, entanglement, quantum gates, teleportation, quantum algorithms, and quantum error correction. The course is designed for first-year undergraduate students, both those pursuing a degree in QISE and those who are seeking to be `quantum-aware'.
Quantum information science and engineering (QISE) is rapidly gaining interest from those within many disciplines, and higher education needs to adapt to the changing landscape. Although QISE education still has a strong presence and roots in physics, the field is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. There is a need to understand the presence of QISE instruction and quantum-related instruction across all disciplines in order to figure out where QISE education is already happening and where it could be expanded. Although there is recent work that characterizes introductory QISE courses, there is no holistic picture of the landscape of QISE and quantum-related education in the United States. To understand how QISE education is evolving, we analyzed course catalogs from 1456 U.S. institutions. We found 61 institutions offering QISE degree programs, mostly at Ph.D.-granting schools, with interdisciplinary programs being the most common. Physics, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science are the primary contributors to these programs. Across all institutions, we identified over 8000 courses mentioning “quantum,” mainly in physics and chemistry departments, but about one-third of institutions in our study had none. We also found over 500 dedicated QISE courses, concentrated in Ph.D.-granting institutions, primarily in physics, electrical and computer engineering, and computer science. Physics leads in offering both general quantum-related courses ( ∼ 4700 ) and QISE-specific courses ( ∼ 200 ). While quantum knowledge is often a prerequisite for QISE, there are efforts to make QISE education more accessible to students with less background in quantum mechanics. Across multiple disciplines, we also see that QISE topics are being introduced in courses not fully dedicated to QISE, which may be a productive strategy for increasing students’ access to QISE education. Our dataset and analysis provide the most comprehensive overview to date of quantum education across U.S. higher education. Additionally, this work is the first to address, in detail, the landscape of quantum content in two-year and community colleges and examines the largest set of MSIs in this context. We hope these findings will support and guide future efforts in curriculum design, workforce development, and education policy across the quantum ecosystem.
Abstract As the field of quantum information science and engineering (QISE) continues its rapid growth, there are increasing concerns about the workforce demands and the necessity of preparing students for quantum-related careers. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the field, it is necessary to offer diverse educational opportunities to ensure that students are well-prepared for careers emerging from the second quantum revolution. In this paper, we present our findings from a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with university QISE educators, who have taken on the challenges and opportunities in developing QISE courses and curricula for undergraduate and graduate students from different academic backgrounds. Our findings focus on common themes across undergraduate and graduate QISE education, as well as advising and mentoring students to prepare them for research in the field. The interviewees discussed the various strategies they had implemented, such as incorporating hands-on lab activities, integration of Python coding with Qiskit, and including project-based learning experiences. Furthermore, their reflections on mentorship and advising students emphasized the importance of recognizing students’ prior preparation, providing targeted resources, and supportive learning environments. Our findings are meant to provide guidance for educators looking to implement effective QISE educational strategies that address the changing landscape of quantum information revolution.