Purdue University School of Engineering Education (ENE) Associate Professor Kerrie Douglas and ENE Research Associate Professor Melissa Dyehouse are leading the education research component of a National Science Foundation-funded project to expand educational simulation tools developed at Purdue, Georgia Tech and Arizona State. The work builds on 10-years of effort at Georgia Tech to improve the teaching of quantum and semiconductor physics through the creation of interactive visualization tools and computer games. In addition to the games and interactive visualizations, researchers from Arizona State and Purdue are collaborating on the device simulation tools and their plans to evaluate the tools. 

“Undergraduate engineering students are commonly challenged to understand microelectronics circuits because the physics concepts they’ve learned do not apply at the electron level,” said Douglas. “By creating a game that enables students to not only visualize what is happening, but also provides lots of opportunities for students to see how the devices perform in different scenarios, students experience repetition that is crucial for development of deeper understanding.”                                                                                                        

The four-year project will research design elements to improve effectiveness and implement comprehensive measurement strategies. The multidisciplinary team brings together expertise in engineering learning and assessment along with the technical expertise to design a simulation that is effective for supporting student learning.

Dyehouse added, “This research is essential not only for enhancing students’ understanding of complex concepts in quantum and semiconductor physics, but also for ensuring these tools can be used most effectively across diverse student populations and educational environments.”  

Read Georgia Tech article “’Game’-changing Visual Tools Help Students Grasp Quantum Concepts”