Cognitive Well-Being in Hybrid Classrooms: A Cross-Cultural Study across Switzerland, Morocco and Tunisia

Swiss partners

• HES-SO: Armand Brice Kouadio

 MENA partners

• University of Sfax: Hajer Chabbouh

• Hassan II University of Casablanca: Adam Chati

Presentation of the project

While digital tools offer flexibility, they also place heavy demands on students’ attention and self-regulation, sometimes resulting in burnout or disengagement. Relatedly, hybrid (mix, remote and on-site) learning has introduced new levels of technostress, cognitive fatigue, and reduced student engagement in higher education. Recent evidence suggests that students’ attachment to hybrid modalities creates a digital strain which directly mediates and often dampens academic engagement, even when grades remain unaffected. Moreover, insufficient cognitive presence - the ability to meaningfully reflect and engage online - correlates with poorer motivation and learning outcomes (Daud, 2025). Despite these advancements in contemporary research, little is known on how cognitive and psychological stressors affect students in hybrid learning environments, nor how these experiences vary across national contexts (in our case Switzerland, Morocco, and Tunisia). In fact, existing studies focus mostly on fully online or professional settings, not sufficiently showing how technology can be both an enabler and a stressor.

Consequently, this project addresses two questions:

1. What are the key cognitive and psychological stressors faced by students in hybrid classrooms?

2. How do institutional and cultural dynamics influence students’ engagement and self-regulatory strategies?

We will first review and select theoretical models and measures of student cognitive well-being. Then, conduct focus groups and interviews to elicit lived experiences of students. Finally, a cross-cultural framework of cognitive wellbeing of students in hybrid learning settings will be developed via qualitative and quantitative research methods. We expect our findings to support the development of evidence-based guidelines aimed at student support services and university governance in Switzerland, Morocco, and Tunisia. In these countries, digitalization and online teaching are increasingly reshaping students’ learning environments, thus prompting a rethinking of support (mental health) needs.