An Assessment of Expert-Like Problem-Solving Skills in Graduate Quantum Mechanics

Problem-solving is an important skill for physics graduate students; however, it is not clear to what extent this skill is explicitly taught in graduate coursework. To measure this skill, we developed an assessment of expert-like problem-solving skills (ELPSS)—which we define as decisions made with limited information—in graduate quantum mechanics. We first conducted semi-structured interviews with graduate physics instructors to identify ELPSS expected of first year graduate physics students. We then designed an assessment for graduate quantum mechanics which tests the expected ELPSS. The scoring rubric was developed using the consensus responses of experts (professional researchers in AMO and Condensed Matter) such that a higher score reflects a more expert-like response. We further tested the assessment with graduate and undergraduate students. We find evidence for the face validity of the assessment: experts receive the highest median scores of 78%, followed by graduate students with 33%, then undergraduates with 19%. This validation study indicates the potential for improved teaching of problem-solving skills in graduate physics coursework, which is the subject of an ongoing study.