2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Exploring Team Dynamics and Cognitive Workload in Mixed Reality Collaborative Learning Environments

As mixed reality (MR) technologies become increasingly integrated into engineering education, understanding how teams experience and manage cognitive workload in these environments is crucial. While MR offers immersive, interactive experiences that can enhance engagement and learning, many current MR learning environments are designed with a primary focus on individual users. Consequently, these environments often overlook the complexities of teamwork, coordination, and shared cognitive demands that arise during collaborative tasks. Moreover, little is known about how physiological and perceptual indicators of workload interact with team dynamics in MR settings, which limits our ability to design adaptive systems that effectively support group performance. To address the previously discussed gaps, this study investigates team dynamics and cognitive workload in a collaborative MR learning environment. 33 Teams of engineering students completed a hydraulic bike assembly task using an MR platform while providing multimodal data, including heart rate (HR), Electrodermal Activity (EDA), perceived system usability, and teamwork assessments. Cluster analysis was applied to these indicators to identify distinct team experience profiles, which were subsequently examined in relation to self-reported cognitive workload. The results reveal meaningful differences in workload and coordination patterns across clusters, highlighting how variations in physiological activation, usability perceptions, and teamwork processes shape collective performance in MR environments. These findings advance the understanding of how teams adapt to immersive collaborative learning contexts and provide actionable insights for the design of adaptive MR learning systems. By integrating physiological and perceptual measures into system design, educators and developers can better support collaboration, balance cognitive demands, and enhance overall team performance in engineering education.

Authors

Khalid Bello University of Louisville [biography]

Khalid Bello is a graduate student at University of Louisville.
Dr. Israa Azzam Milwaukee School of Engineering [biography]

Dr. Azzam is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Her teaching philosophy centers on creating an inclusive, learner-focused environment that emphasizes experiential learning, teamwork, and innovation. Dr. Azzam's goal is to integrate multiple teaching techniques and state-of-the-art methods to help students succeed. A major part of her approach is using advanced technologies such as Extended Reality (XR) in lectures and labs. She aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, equipping students with essential STEM skills to thrive as innovators and future leaders.
Dr. Azzam earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University in 2025, where she specialized in digital technologies and control systems. Her doctoral research focused on industrial teleoperations, XR technology, and engineering education, and has been recognized with multiple awards.
Before pursuing her Ph.D., Dr. Azzam completed her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Beirut Arab University (2019) and her M.E. in Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Beirut (2021). Her graduate work at AUB provided a strong theoretical foundation in control systems, which she expanded into applied research at Purdue, where she collaborated with industry partners on simulation-based and XR-integrated modules for engineering education.
Dr. Farid El Breidi http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4959-3292 Purdue University - Purdue Polytechnic Institute – West Lafayette [biography]

Dr. Farid El Breidi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue University. Dr. El Breidi is the director of the Digital Technologies Lab and is actively engaged in research encompassing digital fluid power, digital reality, and engineering pedagogy. He serves as the Principal Investigator for numerous internally and externally funded research projects. These projects have received support from agencies and associations such as the National Science Foundation and the National Fluid Power Association.
Dr. Faisal Aqlan http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0695-5364 University of Louisville [biography]

Dr. Faisal Aqlan is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at The University of Louisville. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering form The State University of New York at Binghamton.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 21, 2026, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 24, 2026