Usability is an important factor for cross reality laboratories. However, after conducting a literature survey on the ACM Digital Library and IEEE Xplore, we were only able to identify 15 papers discussing the usability of cross reality labs, which in itself reveals a lack of focus on that topic. Further analysis on the papers showed room for improvement, e.g., most papers only used questionnaires, which do not allow for deep usability analyses. From the surveyed papers, we were able to identify a total of 26 factors which play an important role in usability for cross reality labs, categorised into technology, laboratory operation, and learning. Based on our results, we can conclude that usability research for cross reality labs is an under-researched area at the moment and would benefit from more focus.

This paper presents a booking system for federated cross reality systems realised in the CrossLab architecture. The system itself consists of four micro services communicating through the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP). The system can handle both devices as well as device groups (where multiple similar devices are collected and the booking system can choose one of them). Federated bookings are handled based on eventual consistency, which means that the booking stays in a ‘pending’ state until all involved booking systems confirm the booking.

This article describes the development of an ultra-concurrent remote optical microscope laboratory that emulates the traditional experimental process. Its design encompasses all stages of the practical experimental experience, ensuring rigor in the technical aspects involved. The innovation lies in the creation of an interactive, adaptive, and scalable platform that provides an educational resource in biology. The laboratory was developed in four stages: experimental design, data recording and capture, web interface development, and assembly. The developed remote laboratory is an innovative educational resource in biology, covering all experimental procedures and adaptable to different levels of teaching and research, while promoting the development of sensorimotor skills through interactivity.

The study explores the usability and onboarding process of a Mixed-Reality (MR) application called PEARL, designed to prepare students for laboratory work. Originally developed for mobile Augmented Reality (mAR), PEARL was adapted for MR to offer a more immersive and intuitive experience through hand and gesture controls. Since many students lack experience with MR devices, a user-friendly onboarding system is essential. The study aims to redesign PEARL’s user interface and onboarding experience, evaluating how intuitive interaction elements impact usability. First, a literature review will identify existing usability guidelines for MR applications, which will guide the redesign of the interface. This new version will then be tested with students through a user study. Feedback will be collected via an online survey to assess the onboarding and user experience, and the findings will be used to refine the design further. The expected outcome is an improved onboarding process and interface, making PEARL accessible even for MR novices, enhancing their ability to interact with 3D objects in a real-world setting. Ultimately, the study aims to provide best practices for developing intuitive MR interfaces and effective onboarding experiences, especially in educational contexts.

CONTEXT:

The role of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) in engineering education has gained relevance because of their ability to personalize learning [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]. Despite these theoretical benefits, the practical validation of these systems in real educational environments remains limited. This study examined the implementation and validation of the ITS AIDET (Adaptive Intelligent Engineering Digital Tutor) in an electronics course at a university in the Dominican Republic. 

PURPOSE OR GOAL :

The objective of this study was to validate the effectiveness of the AIDET system by comparing the performance of two groups of students: an experimental group that used the AIDET and a control group that received traditional instruction from a teacher. The purpose was to measure the impact of the ITS on student learning, specifically, in terms of participation, retention, and mastery of complex electronics concepts. The questions that guided the study were as follows:

1. Can the implementation of an ITS to manage the educational process benefit students’ academic training compared with traditional teaching methods?

2. Does AIDET meet the teaching standards required for an engineering course at a university or educational center?

APPROACH:

The study involved 22 students divided into two groups: an experimental group of 11 students who used the ITS AIDET and a control group of 11 students who received traditional instruction. Both groups were assessed simultaneously and underwent two midterm exams. The control group developed course activities and assignments proposed by the professor, whereas the experimental group developed the activities proposed by the AIDET. Both the control and experimental groups took the two final exams in two periods, which were developed by a human professor. The 1st period exam was worth 15/45 and the 2nd period exam was worth 15/55 to obtain a final grade (weighted between 0 and 100 points); the rest of the grade corresponded to the activities carried out individually by each group. In the control group, the average final grade was 59.22 and in the experimental group the average final grade was slightly higher, 60.45. In addition, AIDET proved to be effective in providing personalized feedback based on the VARK learning style and in improving the retention of key course concepts, compared to traditional instruction. The AIDET system was developed in a continuous research process that integrates advanced technologies such as Large Scale Language Models (LLM) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), providing immediate feedback and personalized content [7]. Currently, AIDET has its own Learning Management System (LMS) and is working on the development of an API that allows its integration into other traditional LMS, as well as its scalability to other fields of knowledge.

ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES:

Preliminary results show that, although both groups had a similar final average performance, the experimental group had a slightly higher performance in the final grade. Even though the students in the experimental group started with a lower average in the first period, their performance improved significantly in the second period, indicating the positive impact of ITS on their learning.