Ryan McMahan
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA·Computer Science
Quantum information science (QIS) uses the laws of quantum physics to process and store information, and it is expected to reshape areas from commerce to privacy. Building those advances needs a trained workforce, but QIS is hard to learn.
- Fields
Computer Science
Education Research
Physics
- Topics
quantum information science
quantum education
quantum computing
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Sep 2027
What they work on
- Develop and validate the QIS Concept Introductory Test (QISCIT) and label misconceptions in data from a controlled general-population study of QubitVR, a virtual reality app for learning quantum concepts.
- Build and evaluate machine learning models that use VR tracking and input data to predict when QubitVR learners are likely to hold a quantum information science misconception.
- Compare a proactive, machine-learning-based tutoring version of QubitVR with a reactive, rules-based version in a between-subjects study of how well each corrects misconceptions.
- Test QubitVR's effectiveness in undergraduate quantum information science courses through a longitudinal study, and release open desktop and smartphone versions.
More about the research
Ideas such as superposition (a quantum bit holding a mix of states), measurement and entanglement (linked particles) run against everyday intuition. This collaborative project asks whether virtual reality (VR) combined with machine learning can detect and correct students' misconceptions as they learn.
Why it matters
Students struggling with counterintuitive quantum concepts could get timely, personalized help that corrects misunderstandings before they settle in. Open desktop and smartphone versions of QubitVR could let more classrooms use the tool without VR headsets. This could help prepare more students for jobs in the growing quantum technology workforce.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Akimasa Miyake
University of New Mexico, NM·Physics
Determine how symmetry-protected topological order, a collective entanglement found in frustrated quantum spin systems, serves as a resource for quantum computation within measurement-based quantum computation.
Maciej Pankiewicz
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Education Research
Extend the Decimal Point mathematics learning game so that a large language model generates hints personalized to each student's problem-solving history, misconceptions and in-game learning behaviors.
Sarah Hansen
Columbia University, NY·Education Research
Compare webcam-based eye tracking with traditional screen-based eye tracking while students solve chemistry problems. Determine whether low-cost webcams capture viewing behavior well enough for research and feedback.
The school
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: 35 labs on PI Pages, $657M a year on research, 496 research doctorates a year.
More about Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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