The interdisciplinary quantum information classroom

Quantum information science programs and courses are becoming more prevalent in the United States. While quantum information science as a research field has been around for several decades, the introduction of it at the undergraduate level is both newer, and important as quantum industries grow and the need for a 'quantum literate' workforce emerges. As physics education researchers, we are focused on supporting faculty as they develop courses for a wide range of students. Before being able to develop materials to improve content understanding, we need to first learn more about the courses being taught, the student populations they serve, and where students struggle. We present our findings on where introductory quantum information courses are being taught and report results from a targeted survey of quantum information instructors. We find that while quantum information courses are becoming more prevalent, there are certain institution types that are more likely to offer these courses than others, potentially hampering efforts to create a diverse workforce. We also find that the interdisciplinary nature of the field translates into introductory quantum information courses that have very different focuses and goals, depending on the expertise of the instructor.