QubitQuest: Learning Quantum Computing through Mini-Games

TL;DR

QubitQuest is a set of educational mini-games designed to teach introductory quantum computing concepts through gamification, showing improved understanding and engagement in learners.

Contribution

This paper introduces a novel gamified approach with three mini-games to facilitate learning of quantum computing for beginners.

Findings

Participants showed improved understanding after playing the mini-games.

Higher engagement levels correlated with better learning outcomes.

Mini-games increased motivation and interest in quantum computing.

Abstract

Quantum Computing (QC) is often challenging for beginners due to its abstract concepts and mathematical foundations. This paper explores the use of gamification to support the learning of introductory QC concepts. To investigate this, QubitQuest was developed as a set of three educational mini-games designed to teach key QC topics: the Bloch sphere, entanglement, and quantum circuits. The mini-games aim to balance engagement, motivation, and learning while introducing concepts in small and focused units of progressive difficulty. A two-phase user study was conducted to evaluate the mini-games. In the first phase, a preliminary survey was conducted to gather information on learners' preferences and inform the design of the mini-games. In the second phase, participants played the mini-games and completed pre- and post-game questionnaires to assess their learning. The results show that participants improved their understanding of introductory QC concepts after playing the mini-games, with post-game scores higher than pre-game scores. Those who completed more levels achieved higher post-game scores, indicating that motivation and engagement influenced the learning outcomes. These findings suggest that mini-games may improve students' learning experience and outcomes when exposed to introductory QC concepts.