Thu 19 Feb 2026 16:30 - 16:40 at Meeting Room 241-242 - Lightning Talks #1

When a student asked why quantum computers threaten RSA, I realized how little exposure most CS majors have to quantum topics. Initially unsure if I knew enough to teach quantum computing, I began small: I introduced a lecture on quantum cryptography in a cybersecurity course providing early motivation for expanding the effort described here. Later, I expanded with a week of lectures in a required computer organization class on superposition, qubits, and simple quantum circuits using analogies, interactive demos, and online simulators. Over time, this grew into a full pilot semester course in quantum computing. Students engaged with topics from Malus’ Law and the Born Rule to Grover’s algorithm, building circuits in Quirk and IBM Composer. In my pilot semester, nearly 20 undergraduate students (almost full capacity) successfully completed the class, and more than 100 students across other courses received at least an introduction to quantum computing. End-of-semester evaluations were highly positive, reinforcing the value of this incremental, hands-on approach. This is an emerging effort, begun in Fall 2023 and expanded with a pilot course in Summer 2025. It is not yet mature, and I am seeking discussion and input from colleagues on how to refine and sustain this integration of quantum computing into the CS curriculum.

Thu 19 Feb

Displayed time zone: Central Time (US & Canada) change

15:40 - 17:00
15:40
10m
Talk
Beyond the Sprint: Teaching Project Management as a Human Skill
Lightning Talks
15:50
10m
Talk
Cohorts for Community: Structuring Undergraduate Staff Support
Lightning Talks
Kelly Ding Harvard University, David J. Malan Harvard University
16:00
10m
Talk
Compiling Course Insights: A Dashboard for Holistic Views in CS EducationGlobal
Lightning Talks
Matt Chen Monash University
16:10
10m
Talk
Enlightning Learning ExperiencesGlobal
Lightning Talks
Michel Zam University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM); Paris Dauphine University – PSL; KarmicSoft; , Jacek Urbanski Sodexo — Data Hub, Tara Bogart KarmicSoft
16:20
10m
Talk
Evolving Decisions, Evolving Identities: Scaffolded Tabletop Exercises as a Course Innovation in Cybersecurity
Lightning Talks
Lily Pharris UT Martin
16:30
10m
Talk
From Fear to Practice: Integrating Quantum Computing into CS Courses
Lightning Talks
16:40
10m
Talk
LLMTutorBench: A Benchmark for University-level TCS AI Tutoring Systems
Lightning Talks
Anant Gupta Georgia Institute of Technology, Hieu Nguyen Georgia Institute of Technology, Carine G Webber Georgia Institute of Technology, Justin Stevens Washington University in St. Louis, Abrahim Ladha Georgia Institute of Technology, Sanika Ainchwar Georgia Institute of Technology, Vijay Ganesh Georgia Institute of Technology
16:50
10m
Talk
Proactive Listening to Student Voices: Automating Reddit Summaries for Education LeadersGlobal
Lightning Talks
Matt Chen Monash University