Abstract
Qubit Touchdown is a two-player, competitive board game that was developed to
introduce students to quantum computing. A quantum computer is a new kind of
computer that is based on the laws of quantum physics, and it can solve certain
problems faster than normal computers because it follows a different set of
rules. Qubit Touchdown's game play mirrors the rules of (American) football,
with players taking turns moving the football to score the most touchdowns, and
no knowledge of quantum computing is needed to play the game. We evaluated the
game with 107 public high school students in Precalculus, Advanced Placement
(AP) Statistics, and/or AP Physics 1 courses, assessing whether their interest
in and self-efficacy toward quantum computing changed as a result of playing
the game and learning about its connections to quantum computing. We also
assessed whether the game was easy to learn and enjoyable. We found that
students' self-efficacy was improved by 33.4%, and they widely considered the
game accessible and fun. Thus, Qubit Touchdown could be an effective resource
to introduce students to Quantum Computing and boost their confidence in
learning about the field. Free printables of the game are available, and
professionally produced copies can be purchased on demand.