2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Quantum computing (QC) is considered to be one of the leading emerging technologies with the potential to revolutionize the computing industry. Increased investments in quantum computing by both the government and private sector have brought about rapid developments in quantum hardware. As such, there is an urgent need for engineers and scientists who have been trained in the field of Quantum Information Science and Technology. Primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) are a viable source of this much needed workforce, but they face unique challenges in developing comprehensive programs in QC. To address this need, we have created a pair of courses in quantum computing suitable for students majoring in engineering, physics, chemistry, and computer science at PUIs. These courses form the foundation for a minor in QC that we are in the process of implementing at ____________.
There is a belief that learning QC concepts can be difficult for students without a background in quantum physics or linear algebra. In fact, most of the topics covered in typical quantum mechanics and linear algebra courses are not needed to gain an initial understanding of QC. We have lowered the barriers to accessing our first foundational class, Introduction to Quantum Computing, by only requiring prerequisites that can typically be attained in the first year by most STEM majors. The course is structured so that students are introduced to the required mathematical concepts as needed. Students are taught the key concepts in QC and learn to analyze basic quantum circuits using ket analysis and matrices as well as using standard Python and QC simulation software. Topics are chosen to utilize the computational basis set and do not require switching from one basis to another. The second QC course introduces students to important applications such as quantum machine learning and quantum chemistry applied to QC. To enhance student learning, we use a range of active learning methods, such as from collaborative short and medium paper-and-pencil exercises to more involved, Jigsaw methods and programming to reinforce understanding. We have a three-year grant from NSF to further develop and assess the effectiveness of these active learning methods. Another high-impact educational practice we use is mini-research projects where the students address an open problem in QC in the last third of the course.
So far, we have taught the Introduction to QC course twice and the second QC course once with plans to teach both courses again in 2026. Our presentation will describe the development of these courses and an assessment of their effectiveness, as well as our plan to implement the QC minor at our institution. By disseminating this information, we hope to provide a blueprint that encourages other institutions, especially PUIs, to develop similar programs. Such programs should be able to produce quantum-aware engineers and scientists, the specialists capable of designing the support electronics and software that are an integral part of the quantum computer.