Quantum-CoPs: When Communities of Practice Resemble Physics

2020

In the last decades, several papers have shown that quantum techniques can be successful in describing not only events in the micro-scale physical world – for which they were originally invented – but also in describing social phenomena, e.g., different economic processes. In our previous paper, we provide an explanation for this somewhat surprising successes. In this paper, we extend this explanation and show that quantum (and more general) techniques can also be used to model research collaboration. 1 Formulation of the Problem What is the problem. It is well known that when researchers collaborate, their productivity usually increases: together, they generate more results and more applications than when they work on their own. Sometimes, this increase is significant, sometimes, it is small, and sometimes, the two people simply do not match, and their attempts to collaborate turn out to be counter-productive. To enhance productivity, it is therefore desirable to predict how well a...

Communities of practice serve business and industry as functional organizations for sharing knowledge and practices. In science and education, communities of practice have existed in various forms for more than a century, but have only recently been formalized into practice. Based on ethnographic fieldwork among quantum information physicists in the American Southwest, this paper describes the organization, cultural practices, and effect of the SQuInT community of practice on learning and research in quantum physics. It also discusses the promise that communities of practice hold as useful knowledge transfer models in education.

Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 1991

It is now widely accepted that the cost of computers means that work around them will usually be in group's work. Hence, the question is raised of whether the group context should be explicitly recognized in the software design. The present paper outlines a study which was intended to contribute to an answer. The study addressed the consequences of exchanging ideas while making joint decisions about the paths followed by falling objects. Based on results from 12-15-year-old pupils who responded to computer-presented problems, the study indicates that benefits are to be gained, but that constraints additional to joint decision making may be necessary for optimal outcomes.

2006

& Romiszowski, 1997; Ertmer & Newby, 1993) highlights problems with ���traditional��� approaches to knowledge distribution, such as the issue of inert knowledge1 (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1985) created during classroom training. Consequently, the meaning of the terms ���knowledge,������learning,��� and ���performance��� are being reconsidered (Schwen, Kalman, Hara, & Kisling, 1998).

Own the Unknown: An Anticipatory Approach to Prepare Society for the Quantum Age, 2022

Quantum technology promises to shift the boundaries of what machines can do. Advancing our capacities to acquire, process and transmit information, quantum technology has the potential to impact nearly all domains in society. Therefore, we should start anticipating the future role of quantum technology and the ethical, legal, social and policy implications that come with it. One way of informing ourselves about how to do this is by making use of historical analogies. The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) developed a framework for embedding so-called system technologies into society based on a historical analysis of how society dealt with such technologies in the past. In this article, the conceptual framework of system technologies is reinterpreted as an anticipatory strategy to prepare society for quantum technology and vice versa. The proposed strategy has five dimensions: (1) countering unrealistic perceptions (demystification), (2) investing in a facilitating socio-technical environment (contextualisation), (3) engaging stakeholders and civil society (engagement), (4) creating flexible frameworks (regulation) (5) and developing international 'quantum diplomacy' (positioning). By actively engaging in these processes, society enables itself to guide the development of quantum technology and its impact within society.

2022

Rapid advances in quantum technology have exacerbated the shortage of a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable quantum workforce. National governments and industries are developing strategies for education, training, and workforce development to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technologies. In this paper, we report the existing state of the quantum workforce as well as several learning pathways to nurture the talent pipeline between academia and industry. We provide a comprehensive guide of various educational initiatives accessible throughout the world, such as online courses, conferences, seminars, games, and community-focused networks, that facilitate quantum training and upskill the talent needed to develop a better quantum future.

Information Systems, 2002

2011

This thesis is centred around the analysis of how the different groups of specialist experts that make up theoretical physics at large communicate and transmit knowledge between themselves. The analysis is carried out using two sociological frameworks: the Studies in Expertise and Experience (SEE) approach by Collins & Evans (2007), and mechanisms of sociological and institutional trust in the general sociology of science literature. I argue that the communication process is carried out in two ways: through interactional expertise that is based on deep comprehension when the interaction is between micro-cultures that are sociologically closely connected, and through lower forms of knowledge relying on trust for the micro-cultures that are sociologically far apart. Because Collins & Evans’ framework is strongly based on processes of transmission of tacit knowledge, an analysis of the importance of tacit knowledge in physics is carried out to support the thesis. Speciđc types of tacit knowledge are closely examined to understand how they shape theoretical physics practice. I argue that ‘physical intuition’, one of the guiding principles of all theoretical activity, is infact a type of tacit knowledge — somatic tacit knowledge — that is familiar to both philosophers and sociologists within the academic literature. ăe end result is a description of physics that highlights the importance of sociological mechanisms to hold the discipline together, and that permit knowledge to flow from the empirical to the theoretical poles of physics practice, and vice versa. The thesis is supported by unstructured interview material and by the author’s prolonged interaction within theoretical physics professional circles.

International Journal of Management, Knowledge and Learning, 2022

In the context of knowledge management, we argue that there is no singular way to understand our own reality because we are constantly entangled in a juxtaposed plurality of postmodern information systems. Humans define their realities and worldviews through culture, ethnicity, language, semiotics, systems of meanings, communities of practice, and other physical and sensory interpretations within information systems. But since multiple factors in time and space define one's information systems, we theorize that alternative interpretive models exist for applications of the same situations when perceived by others. Study design/methodology/approach: We explored this inherent knowledge management phenomenon of human information systems entanglements through the literature review of respected scientists, theorists, academics, and philosophers; and herein present our theory of entangled human information systems. Findings: Since all human information systems are dependent upon the continuous management of tacit and explicit knowledge, and the understandings and meanings of the individual experiencing the situation, they may be matrixed, nested, and overlapped with multiple information systems; and because they can exist alone, apart, together, or at different times and places and survive, they are entangled. We theorize that similar to a movable quantum particle, human information systems are also entangled, superpositioned, and juxtaposed in two or more states concurrently; and when interpreted and applied pluralistically, they create an infinite number of simultaneous human information systems in which we reside. Originality/value: This qualitative approach to inquiry focuses upon understanding the construct of human information systems entanglements and their similarities to quantum entanglements, by exploring the "how" and "why" they occurs, rather than examining the "what" and "how many."