DECODING COGNITIVE LOAD IN VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTUAL BARRIERS IN AC POWER FACTOR AMONG POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS

Emergency remote teaching during the post-pandemic transition shifted vocational laboratories online without adequate tactile infrastructure. This study investigated cognitive load and conceptual barriers among polytechnic Energy Engineering students (N=32) learning AC Power Factor in a fully virtual laboratory. Using a single-group pretest-posttest design, conceptual understanding was assessed across Revised Blooms Taxonomy (C2-C4) together with a subjective cognitive load questionnaire. Descriptive analysis showed declines in C2 (-5%) and C3 (-3%), whereas C4 exhibited only a marginal 4% gain. Paired-sample t-tests indicated no significant improvement (p>0.05). Item-level triangulation identified severe overload in parallel calculations (C214, C409) and an illusion of competence in variable interactions (C416, C201). Proficiency profiling classified all students as overburdened in C2, with performance polarization in C3 and virtual fatigue in C4.Standalone digital modules therefore failed as sufficient scaffolding, highlighting the need for synchronous instruction and adaptive visual simulations to reduce extraneous cognitive load.