TTZ Researcher Presents Research on Cognitive Load at International Conferences

06.07.2026, Research:

Pavel Kostarev, a research associate at the Technology Transfer Center (TTZ) for Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), presented his research findings on identifying cognitive load when learning programming concepts at two international conferences: He attended HEAd’26 in Valencia and EDULEARN26 in Palma de Mallorca.

HEAd’26—the 12th International Conference on Higher Education Advances, which took place from June 16 to 18, 2026, at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) in Spain—marked the start of the trip. The conference brings together researchers and educators from over 50 countries each year to discuss current developments and challenges in higher education. The focus is particularly on issues related to the further development of teaching and learning formats, as well as the increasing use of artificial intelligence in higher education.

Just a few weeks later, Kostarev presented his research findings at EDULEARN26 – the 18th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, which was held in Palma de Mallorca from June 29 to July 1, 2026. The conference is one of the largest European events in the field of educational technology and brought together more than 1,000 participants from over 80 countries this year.

Research Goal: AI Support for Cognitive Load During College Studies

At both conferences, Pavel presented his research findings on intelligent support systems for programming courses. The goal is to support first-semester HNU students as they learn to program. Specifically, the question is how to detect cognitive strain in students in real time using physiological and behavioral data, in order to provide them with AI-generated support at just the right moment. What makes this unique is that the system requires no expensive specialized hardware and runs on standard, readily available hardware on a regular laptop—making it accessible to educational institutions of all sizes. This work is part of Pavel’s doctoral dissertation, which is currently being supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Bartel.

The papers received a wide response from the international academic community: They demonstrate the intensity of the current international debate on AI-supported learning assistance and adaptive teaching systems. At the same time, they raise further research questions, particularly regarding practical implementation in various teaching contexts.