Cohort Institute Opens Its Team Formation Software to an Independent Two-Semester Study

Faculty-led research will compare student team experiences in the same university courses before and after they adopt Cohort. Results are expected in 2027.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cohort Institute today announced the launch of an independent study examining student team experiences in university courses before and after the courses adopt its team formation software. The study will compare Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 course offerings at a public university, with results expected in 2027.

The study is led by Muhammad Hasan Ashraf, Ph.D., an assistant professor of supply chain management, and has received institutional review board (IRB) approval. Zaldivar Labs, the company founded by Cohort Institute co-founder Eddie Zaldivar, provides funding for the research.

Cohort uses a short survey about teamwork preferences and availability to form project teams across a class. Each student receives an email with their team assignment and a defined responsibility, such as Team Lead or Quality Assurance Lead.

"We are comparing how students describe their team experience in the same courses across two semesters," said Dr. Ashraf, the study's lead investigator. "The goal is to understand what changes when instructors introduce a structured approach to team formation and roles."

How the study works

In Fall 2026, ten participating course sections will form teams using their usual methods, without Cohort. Students will complete an end-of-semester research survey about their team experience.

In Spring 2027, the same courses, taught by the same instructors, are scheduled to use Cohort to form teams and assign roles. Students will complete the same research survey. This survey is separate from the intake survey used by the software.

The investigator will compare responses across the two semesters. Because the two semesters involve different students, the investigator will weigh any differences against changes between the cohorts.

Research oversight

The investigator controls the analysis and will publish the findings. Cohort Institute does not collect or have access to students' research survey responses. The research funding will be disclosed in the published paper.

"We built Cohort because we think the way teams are formed deserves more attention," said Zaldivar. "The next step is letting someone outside the company measure it. That means giving a researcher room to do the work and being willing to live with the answer."

"Faculty put a lot of thought into group assignments, but students still need a clear sense of what they are responsible for within the team," said Dr. Jessica Robinson, co-founder of Cohort Institute and Professor of Supply Chain Management. "That is the problem we are working on, and this study gives us a way to examine students' experiences more systematically."

Faculty access

Cohort is free for approved university faculty during the beta. Instructors who teach team-based courses can apply for Spring 2027 access at cohortinstitute.com/faculty.

About Cohort Institute

Cohort Institute builds team formation software for university courses. It uses student survey responses to form project teams and assign each member a clear role. The company was co-founded by Dr. Jessica Robinson, Professor of Supply Chain Management, and Eddie Zaldivar, founder of Zaldivar Labs. Learn more at cohortinstitute.com.

SOURCE Cohort Institute