Teaching Quantum Computing to an Audience Beyond Physicists: A Case Study over 22 Workshops in 10 Countries
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Quantum computing is a topic mainly rooted in physics, and it has been gaining rapid popularity in recent years. A need for extending the educational reach to groups outside of physics has also been becoming a necessity. Following this, a shift in educational mindset considering teaching quantum computing as a generalized probability theory rather than a field emanating from physics is beginning to emerge. This is best actualized through the utilization of quantum programming as an education tool for an introduction to quantum computing. To this end, in this study we have assessed the effectiveness of a three-day hands-on introduction to quantum programming workshop called QBronze, organized and administered by QWorld initiative, covering the Bronze material formulated according to this mindset. Gathered data consists of pre and post-test results of 317 participants from 22 workshops held between May of 2019 and March of 2020 in ten countries. We assessed the increase in basic knowledge of quantum computing concepts at participants through a series of questions on quantum phenomena, quantum logic gates, and quantum algorithms. We have found that the knowledge levels of participants on quantum computing have increased for all levels of education, regardless of department or gender. Therefore, we argue that hands-on programming tasks based training workshops focusing on quantum computing as a generalized probability theory is an effective way to introduce quantum computing to a wider audience.
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