Steven J. Pollock
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View article: Introductory quantum information science coursework at US institutions: content coverage
Introductory quantum information science coursework at US institutions: content coverage Open
Despite rapid growth of quantum information science (QIS) workforce development initiatives, perceived lack of agreement among faculty on core content has made prior research-based curriculum and assessment development initiatives difficul…
View article: Introductory quantum information science coursework at US institutions: Content coverage
Introductory quantum information science coursework at US institutions: Content coverage Open
Despite rapid growth of quantum information science and engineering (QIS/QISE) workforce development initiatives, perceived lack of agreement among faculty on core content has made prior research-based curriculum and assessment development…
View article: How Media Hype Affects Our Physics Teaching: A Case Study on Quantum Computing
How Media Hype Affects Our Physics Teaching: A Case Study on Quantum Computing Open
Popular media is an unspoken yet ever-present element of the physics landscape and a tool we can utilize in our teaching. It is also well-understood that students enter the physics classroom with a host of conceptions learned from the worl…
View article: Intuition in quantum mechanics: Student perspectives and expectations
Intuition in quantum mechanics: Student perspectives and expectations Open
Broadly speaking, many physicists value intuition in their work, and many instructors hope their students develop intuition (while possibly being wary of their initial, unrefined intuitions). These considerations are especially relevant in…
View article: How media hype affects our physics teaching: A case study on quantum computing
How media hype affects our physics teaching: A case study on quantum computing Open
Popular media is an unspoken yet ever-present element of the physics landscape and a tool we can utilize in our teaching. It is also well-understood that students enter the physics classroom with a host of conceptions learned from the worl…
View article: Adaptable research-based materials for teaching quantum mechanics
Adaptable research-based materials for teaching quantum mechanics Open
We have developed a complete collection of freely available instructional materials to assist faculty in creating a student-centered quantum mechanics (QM) class that engages students while supporting them in developing both sense-making a…
View article: Modified color frames for analyzing group interactions during an online quantum tutorial
Modified color frames for analyzing group interactions during an online quantum tutorial Open
In this paper, we analyze video recordings of students working on tutorials in Zoom breakout rooms in an upper-division quantum mechanics course. We investigate group behaviors in this virtual environment, including the effects of instruct…
View article: Investigating student interpretations of the differences between classical and quantum computers: Are quantum computers just analog classical computers?
Investigating student interpretations of the differences between classical and quantum computers: Are quantum computers just analog classical computers? Open
Significant attention in the PER community has been paid to student cognition and reasoning processes in undergraduate quantum mechanics. Until recently, however, these same topics have remained largely unexplored in the context of emergin…
View article: Effectiveness of an online homework tutorial about changing basis in quantum mechanics
Effectiveness of an online homework tutorial about changing basis in quantum mechanics Open
Changing basis is a common task when solving quantum mechanical problems. As part of a research project investigating student understanding of basis and change of basis in quantum mechanics, we developed a tutorial to support students in l…
View article: Investigating student interpretations of the differences between classical and quantum computers: Are quantum computers just analog classical computers?
Investigating student interpretations of the differences between classical and quantum computers: Are quantum computers just analog classical computers? Open
Significant attention in the PER community has been paid to student cognition and reasoning processes in undergraduate quantum mechanics. Until recently, however, these same topics have remained largely unexplored in the context of emergin…
View article: Today’s interdisciplinary quantum information classroom: Themes from a survey of quantum information science instructors
Today’s interdisciplinary quantum information classroom: Themes from a survey of quantum information science instructors Open
Interdisciplinary introduction to quantum information science (QIS) courses are proliferating at universities across the US, but the experiences of instructors in these courses have remained largely unexplored in the discipline-based educa…
View article: Effectiveness of an online homework tutorial about changing basis in quantum mechanics
Effectiveness of an online homework tutorial about changing basis in quantum mechanics Open
Changing basis is a common task when solving quantum mechanical problems. As part of a research project investigating student understanding of basis and change of basis in quantum mechanics, we developed a tutorial to support students in l…
View article: From Cartesian coordinates to Hilbert space: Supporting student understanding of basis in quantum mechanics
From Cartesian coordinates to Hilbert space: Supporting student understanding of basis in quantum mechanics Open
We conducted a multiyear project across three institutions to develop an instructional tutorial that supports student understanding of change of basis in quantum mechanics. Building from our previous work, we identified learning goals to g…
View article: Exploring student ideas on change of basis in quantum mechanics
Exploring student ideas on change of basis in quantum mechanics Open
A common task when problem solving in quantum mechanics, including in a spins-first curriculum, involves changing the basis of a given state. Our research in undergraduate quantum mechanics courses at three institutions explores student th…
View article: The interdisciplinary quantum information classroom: Themes from a survey of quantum information science instructors
The interdisciplinary quantum information classroom: Themes from a survey of quantum information science instructors Open
Interdisciplinary introduction to quantum information science (QIS) courses are proliferating at universities across the US, but the experiences of instructors in these courses have remained largely unexplored in the discipline-based educa…
View article: Impact of problem context on students’ concept definition of an expectation value
Impact of problem context on students’ concept definition of an expectation value Open
As part of ongoing research on student thinking about quantum mechanical concepts and formalism, we explored how students defined and made sense of expectation values. Previous research has focused on student difficulties when defining the…
View article: An Overview of Quantum Information Science Courses at US Institutions
An Overview of Quantum Information Science Courses at US Institutions Open
As the field of Quantum Information Science (QIS) continues to advance, there is an increased need for a quantum-smart workforce to address the needs of the growing quantum industry. As institutions begin to expand their course offerings, …
View article: Investigating students� strategies for interpreting quantum states in an upper-division quantum computing course
Investigating students� strategies for interpreting quantum states in an upper-division quantum computing course Open
Significant focus in the PER community has been paid to student reasoning in undergraduate quantum mechanics. However, these same topics have remained largely unexplored in the context of emerging interdisciplinary quantum information scie…
View article: Deeper look at question categories, concepts, and context covered: Modified module analysis of quantum mechanics concept assessment
Deeper look at question categories, concepts, and context covered: Modified module analysis of quantum mechanics concept assessment Open
Concept inventories are commonly used tools in physics education research (PER) for evaluating teaching methods. Student responses to concept inventories have been studied using classical test theoretical methods such as factor analysis an…
View article: Online administration of research-based assessments
Online administration of research-based assessments Open
The number and use of research-based assessments (RBAs) has grown significantly over the last several decades. Data from RBAs can be compared against national datasets to provide instructors with empirical evidence on the efficacy of their…
View article: Characterizing and monitoring student discomfort in upper-division quantum mechanics
Characterizing and monitoring student discomfort in upper-division quantum mechanics Open
We investigate student comfort with the material in an upper-division spins-first quantum mechanics course. Pre-lecture surveys probing students' comfort were administered weekly, in which students assigned themselves a "discomfort level" …
View article: Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA
Exploratory factor analysis of the QMCA Open
This investigation is situated within an ongoing project which seeks to understand student thinking in upper-division introductory quantum mechanics courses. Recently, the Quantum Mechanics Concept Assessment (QMCA) was revised to include …
View article: Characterizing and monitoring student discomfort in upper-division quantum mechanics
Characterizing and monitoring student discomfort in upper-division quantum mechanics Open
We investigate student comfort with the material in an upper-division spins-first quantum mechanics course. Prelecture surveys probing students’ comfort were administered weekly, in which students assigned themselves a “discomfort level” o…
View article: Longitudinal study of child and family social workers (wave 2)
Longitudinal study of child and family social workers (wave 2) Open
In 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) commissioned a consortium led by IFF
\nResearch, working with social work academics at Manchester Metropolitan University
\nand the University of Salford, to conduct a longitudinal study tracking…
View article: Student perceptions of math-physics interactions throughout spins-first quantum mechanics
Student perceptions of math-physics interactions throughout spins-first quantum mechanics Open
One of the purported benefits of teaching a spins-first approach to quantum mechanics is that it allows students to build up quantum mechanical ideas and learn postulates before moving to the more complicated mathematics used in the contex…
View article: Student behavior and test security in online conceptual assessment
Student behavior and test security in online conceptual assessment Open
Historically, the implementation of research-based assessments (RBAs) has been a driver of education change within physics and helped motivate adoption of interactive engagement pedagogies. Until recently, RBAs were given to students exclu…
View article: Exploring student preferences when calculating expectation values using a computational features framework
Exploring student preferences when calculating expectation values using a computational features framework Open
Undergraduate quantum mechanics (QM) uses a variety of notations, each with their own advantages and constraints, for representing quantum states and carrying out individual calculations. An example of this can be seen when calculating exp…
View article: Time evolution in quantum systems: a closer look at student understanding
Time evolution in quantum systems: a closer look at student understanding Open
Time evolution of quantum systems has been shown to be one of the most difficult components of a typical undergraduate quantum mechanics course. In this work, we examine the current literature, and then take a closer look at the process th…
View article: Demographic gaps or preparation gaps?: The large impact of incoming preparation on performance of students in introductory physics
Demographic gaps or preparation gaps?: The large impact of incoming preparation on performance of students in introductory physics Open
We have studied the impact of incoming preparation and demographic variables on student performance on the final exam in the standard introductory calculus-based mechanics course at three different institutions. Multivariable regression an…
View article: The impact of incoming preparation and demographics on performance in Physics I: a multi-institution comparison
The impact of incoming preparation and demographics on performance in Physics I: a multi-institution comparison Open
We have studied the impact of incoming preparation and demographic variables on student performance on the final exam in physics 1, the standard introductory, calculus-based mechanics course This was done at three different institutions us…