Undergraduate Student Learning with Quantum Experiments

Due to the importance of quantum mechanics in modern physics and the emergence of quantum technologies, educators are increasingly considering the best ways to teach students both quantum concepts and relevant experimental skills and practices. The majority of education research on the subject has focused on conceptual and mathematical understanding; however, physics experiments not only provide students another way to understand nuanced topics, but can also help them develop skills and expert-like views. We present two different research studies investigating different learning outcomes students may attain from working with quantum experiments. First, we will discuss a popular set of hands-on quantum optics experiments that are often used to help students conceptualize unintuitive quantum phenomena. Through a series of think-aloud interviews, we identified different resources students activated as they reasoned through experimental evidence of particle-wave duality of photons. Second, we will discuss student and instructor perspectives on opportunities afforded by a remote cloud-accessible ultracold atom experiment, which could provide a way for students to engage with a quantum experiment independent of the resources available at their institution. Both of these studies can help educators consider the ways experimental experiences may contribute to students' quantum education.