Collaborative Research: Education Landscape for Quantum Information Science and Engineering: Guiding Education Innovation to Support Quantum Career Paths

过去五年，随着2018年国家量子倡议法案和2023年芯片与科学法案的通过，量子信息科学与工程(QISE)已成为国家优先事项，这两项法案都要求在QISE研究、产业创新、教育和劳动力发展方面进行重大投资。量子系统及其独特的行为将导致计算、通信和传感方面的重大改进，但如果没有熟练和知识渊博的人，这些技术就不能进步。要支持QISE教育，关键是要了解QISE行业内的工作及其相关的必要技能和知识。由于该行业的快速扩张，现有的劳动力数据已经过时。需要更新、更详细、更全面的量子劳动力分析，并需要将这些知识传播给当前和未来的QISE教育工作者和程序开发人员。与QISE行业类似，高等教育中与QISE相关的课程和项目也迅速增长。然而，先前的研究表明，这些机会往往发生在研究型大学，而在其他机构中不太普遍。社区需要对QISE教育格局有一个更全面的了解，以确定正在教授什么，在哪里教授，以及哪些学生从现有的QISE课程和计划中受益。发展对量子劳动力的更清晰的理解，将使进入QISE的途径对来自不同背景和不同机构类型的学生更加透明，例如少数民族服务机构、两年制学院和地区性四年制学院。了解哪些人群接受QISE教育的机会较少也可能指导未来对新的QIS课程和计划的投资。该项目包括三项主要活动：(1)通过分析QISE工作的知识、技能和能力来描述QISE劳动力的特征；(2)传播劳动力数据以改善QISE教育；以及(3)在全美范围内开展具有QISE教育特征的大规模研究。活动一(1)将对量子行业的大约40名员工进行半结构化访谈，讨论职业、典型任务以及执行这些任务所需的技能、知识、能力和教育背景。访谈将与O*Net内容模型保持一致，以描述QISE的特定功能，这些功能是QISE行业中的工程师、软件开发人员、技术人员和科学家特有的。详细的信息对于制定反映最广泛适用和最重要的QISE知识和技能的学习目标和课程至关重要。活动二(2)的重点是向教师传播劳动力调查结果。为了最大限度地发挥数据的影响，QISE讲师和项目总监将接受采访，讨论他们对QISE员工队伍的看法，以及哪些见解将最有助于指导他们的课程开发。此外，该小组将通过多个QISE会议举办研讨会，以传播研究结果。活动三(3)是对美国高等教育中QISE教学的全面审查。这些数据将包括地理分布、机构类型、教学水平以及受影响的学生和专业数量。通过对QISE讲师的后续调查，该团队还将对所涵盖的QISE主题、教学方法、行业联系、扩大参与的努力以及教师面临的挑战进行更详细的分析。该奖项旨在减少发展QISE教育机会的障碍，特别是对服务于不同人群的机构。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Over the past five years, Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) has emerged as a national priority with the passage of the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act and the 2023 CHIPS and Science Act, both of which call for significant investments in QISE research, industrial innovation, education, and workforce development. Quantum systems and their unique behaviors will lead to significant improvements in computing, communication, and sensing, but the technologies cannot advance without skilled and knowledgeable people. To support QISE education, it is critical to understand the jobs within the QISE industry and their associated requisite skills and knowledge. Because of the rapid expansion of the industry, existing workforce data is already out of date. There is a need for more current, detailed, and comprehensive quantum workforce analysis, and a need to disseminate this knowledge to current and future QISE educators and program developers. Similar to the QISE industry, higher education has seen a rapid growth in courses and programs related to QISE. However, prior research indicates these opportunities tend to occur in research universities and are less prevalent in other institutions. The community needs a more comprehensive picture of the QISE education landscape to identify what is being taught, where it is being taught, and which students are benefitting from existing QISE courses and programs. Developing a clearer understanding of the quantum workforce will make the path into QISE more transparent for students from diverse backgrounds and diverse institution types, such as Minority Serving Institutions, two-year colleges, and regional four-year colleges. An understanding of which populations have less access to QISE education may also guide future investments into new QIS courses and programs.This project consists of three major activities: (1) a study characterizing the QISE workforce through an analysis of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for QISE jobs, (2) disseminating workforce data to improve QISE education, and (3) a large-scale study characterizing QISE education across the United States. Activity one (1) will use semi-structured interviews with approximately 40 employees in the quantum industry discussing the occupations, typical tasks, and the skills, knowledge, abilities, and education background required to carry out those tasks. The interviews will align with the O*NET Content Model to describe the QISE specific features that are particular to engineers, software developers, technicians, and scientists working in the QISE industry. The detailed information is critical for developing learning goals and curricula that reflect the most broadly applicable and important QISE knowledge and skills. Activity two (2) is focused on disseminating workforce findings to instructors. To maximize the impact of the data, QISE instructors and program directors will be interviewed to discuss their views on the QISE workforce and what insights would be most helpful for guiding their course development. Additionally, the team will present seminars through multiple QISE conferences to disseminate findings. Activity three (3) is a comprehensive examination of QISE instruction in higher education within the United States. The data will include the geographic distribution, institution types, levels of instruction, and number of students and majors being impacted. Through follow-up surveys with QISE instructors, the team will also develop a more fine-grained analysis of the QISE topics being covered, pedagogical approaches, industrial connections, efforts at broadening participation, and challenges faced by instructors. The hope is to reduce barriers to developing QISE educational opportunities, particularly for institutions who serve diverse populations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.