A Look at Interdisciplinary Collaboration in a Quantum Lab Class

Right now, Quantum Information Science and Engineering programs are popping up across the country. At the University of Maryland, this includes a quantum science and engineering minor with a hardware lab, open to all majors. Each student brings aspects of their respective discipline for the others to learn from, such as physics students' knowledge of quantum physics and engineering students' knowledge of design constraints. This creates an interdisciplinary, collaborative learning environment similar to the professional environments of quantum labs in industry and academia. In practice, these students can enact different framings on how to approach the lab, which can be mutually enriching or potentially disruptive to their learning. To better understand how to facilitate interdisciplinary groups working on quantum lab activities, we invited undergraduates to participate in video-recorded lab testing sessions, from which we will show cases of students working together productively and cases where their approaches are in tension. This work informs theory and practice, helping the field understand potential connections between disciplinary background and framing, and the implications for group facilitation.