Development of an Interactive Tutorial on Quantum Key Distribution

DeVore, Seth; Singh, Chandralekha

doi:10.1119/perc.2014.pr.011

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(46 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Difficulties with photon polarization states: In an investigation involving photon polarization states, some interviewed students claimed that the polarization states of a photon cannot be used as basis vectors for a two-state system due to the fact that a photon can have an infinite number of polarization states [69,70,71]. They argued that since a polarizer can have any orientation and the orientation of the polarizer determines the polarization state of a photon after it passes through the polarizer, it did not make sense to think about the polarization states of a photon as a two-state system.…”

Section: Difficulties In Reconciling Quantum Concepts With Classical mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of student difficulties in upper-level quantum mechanics

Singh

Marshman

2015

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.

Self Cite

142

133

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Learning advanced physics, in general, is challenging not only due to the increased mathematical sophistication but also because one must continue to build on all of the prior knowledge acquired at the introductory and intermediate levels.In addition, learning quantum mechanics can be especially challenging because the paradigms of classical mechanics and quantum mechanics are very different. Here, we review research on student reasoning difficulties in learning upper-level quantum mechanics and research on students' problem-solving and metacognitive skills in these courses. Some of these studies were multi-university investigations. The investigations suggest that there is large diversity in student performance in upper-level quantum mechanics regardless of the university, textbook, or instructor, and many students in these courses have not acquired a functional understanding of the fundamental concepts. The nature of reasoning difficulties in learning quantum mechanics is analogous to reasoning difficulties found via research in introductory physics courses. The reasoning difficulties were often due to over-generalizations of concepts learned in one context to another context where they are not directly applicable. Reasoning difficulties in distinguishing between closely related concepts and in making sense of the formalism of quantum mechanics were common. We conclude with a brief summary of the research-based approaches that take advantage of research on student difficulties in order to improve teaching and learning of quantum mechanics.Students taking upper-level quantum mechanics often develop survival strategies for performing reasonably well in their course work. For example, they become proficient at solving algorithmic problems such as the time-independent Schrödinger equation with a complicated potential energy and boundary conditions. However, research suggests that they often struggle to make sense of the material and build a robust knowledge structure. They have difficulty mastering concepts and applying the formalism to answer qualitative questions, e.g., questions related to the properties of Review of Student Difficulties in Upper-Level Quantum Mechanics

show abstract

Section: Difficulties In Reconciling Quantum Concepts With Classical mentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of student difficulties in upper-level quantum mechanics

Singh

Marshman

2015

Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res.

Self Cite

142

133

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There have been a number of prior research studies aimed at investigating student reasoning in QM [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and using the findings as resources for improving student understanding [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. Guided by research studies conducted to identify student difficulties with QM and findings of cognitive research, we have been developing a set of research-based learning tools including the Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs), which strive to help students develop a solid grasp of QM [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. However, there has been relatively little research that focuses on student understanding of advanced topics in quantum mechanics, e.g., degenerate perturbation theory (DPT) [57][58][59].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving student understanding of corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the Zeeman effect

Keebaugh

Marshman

Singh

2019

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with the corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the intermediate field Zeeman effect using degenerate perturbation theory (DPT). The investigation was carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We find that students share many common difficulties related to relevant physics concepts. They had difficulty with mathematical sense making in this context of quantum mechanics, which requires the ability to interpret the implications of the degeneracy in the unperturbed energy spectrum and how the Zeeman perturbation will impact the splitting of the energy levels. Many of the common student difficulties arise from challenges in mathematical sense making and applying linear algebra concepts incorrectly in this novel context of quantum mechanics. We describe how the research on student difficulties was used as a guide to develop and evaluate a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT), which strives to help students develop a functional understanding of the concepts necessary for finding the corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the intermediate field Zeeman effect using the DPT. We also discuss the development and validation of the DPT QuILT focusing on these issues and its in-class evaluation in the undergraduate and graduate courses.

show abstract

“…Much research in physics education has focused on the cognitive factors in developing effective pedagogical tools and assessment. For example, in physics and other related disciplines, tutorials (Chang, 2001;Singh et al, 2006;Wagner et al, 2006;Singh, 2008b;Zhu and Singh, 2011,b, 2013Brown and Singh, 2015;DeVore and Singh, 2015;Sayer et al, 2015;Singh and Marshman, 2015;DeVore et al, 2016a,b;Singh, 2016, 2017a,b,c), peer instruction (clicker questions with peer discussion) (Mazur, 1997), collaborative group problem solving with context-rich physics problems (Heller and Hollabaugh, 1992), POGIL (process-oriented guided-inquiry learning) activities (Farrell et al, 1999), etc. have been found effective in helping students learn (Shaffer and McDermott, 1992;Singh, 2009;Yerushalmi et al, 2012a,b;Stewart et al, 2016;Wood et al, 2016).…”

Section: Factors 1 and 2: Internal Characteristics Of Learning Tools mentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenge of Helping Introductory Physics Students Transfer Their Learning by Engaging with a Self-Paced Learning Tutorial

2018

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With advances in digital technology, research-validated self-paced learning tools can play an increasingly important role in helping students with diverse backgrounds become good problem solvers and independent learners. Thus, it is important to ensure that all students engage with self-paced learning tools effectively in order to learn the content deeply, develop good problem-solving skills, and transfer their learning from one context to another. Here, we first provide an overview of a holistic framework for engaging students with self-paced learning tools so that they can transfer their learning to solve novel problems. The framework not only takes into account the features of the self-paced learning tools but also how those tools are implemented, the extent to which the tools take into account student characteristics, and whether factors related to students' social environments are accounted for appropriately in the implementation of those tools. We then describe an investigation in which we interpret the findings using the framework. In this study, a research-validated self-paced physics tutorial was implemented in both controlled one-on-one interviews and in large enrollment, introductory calculus-based physics courses as a self-paced learning tool. We find that students who used the tutorial in a controlled one-on-one interview situation performed significantly better on transfer problems than those who used it as a self-paced learning tool in the large-scale implementation. The findings suggest that critically examining and taking into account how the self-paced tools are implemented and incentivized, student characteristics including their self-regulation and time-management skills, and social and environmental factors can greatly impact the extent and manner in which students engage with these learning tools. Getting buy in from students about the value of these tools and providing appropriate support while implementing them is critical for ensuring that students, who otherwise may be constrained by motivational, social, and environmental factors, engage effectively with the tools in order to learn deeply and transfer their learning.

show abstract

Development of an Interactive Tutorial on Quantum Key Distribution

Cited by 26 publications

References 27 publications

Review of student difficulties in upper-level quantum mechanics

Review of student difficulties in upper-level quantum mechanics

Improving student understanding of corrections to the energy spectrum of the hydrogen atom for the Zeeman effect

Challenge of Helping Introductory Physics Students Transfer Their Learning by Engaging with a Self-Paced Learning Tutorial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About