2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This work presents the continued development and evaluation of MERGE (Multiphysics-Enriched Mixed Reality for Geotechnical Education)—an immersive learning platform that integrates classroom theory, field observation, and laboratory simulation through the mixed-reality game EarthTrek. Designed around the sustainable engineering challenge of geothermal pile design, EarthTrek enables students to visualize subsurface processes, perform virtual experiments, and apply geotechnical design principles within a realistic digital environment.

Over the past year, several key improvements have been made: a text-driven knowledge map for structured navigation, a bearing capacity calculator for real-time parametric exploration, a toggleable flow guide with automatic progress saving, and migration to Unity’s Universal Render Pipeline (URP) for enhanced cross-platform fidelity. A controlled classroom study (N = 30) showed significant gains in conceptual understanding (F(1,28) = 10.02, p = .004), with the treatment group outperforming the control by an effect size accounting for 26% of variance in test scores.

Qualitative findings indicated strong engagement and inclusivity, while also highlighting areas for improvement such as technical stability and curriculum alignment. The results demonstrate that integrating MR-based, multiphysics-informed simulations can strengthen undergraduate students’ metacognition, problem-solving, and ethical reasoning.