Abstract:

The trend of Blended Learning (BL) approach applied in education practices is ongoing. However, some approaches are turning to be out of the date as the interests of people in communication channels are changing. Previous studies aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Social Media Networks (SMN) in teaching and learning activities. At the same time, modern people tend to switch from SMN to Messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat) since they are much easier and fast to use. Moreover, the use of above messengers lets you keep your privacy information safe. Therefore, the need in new channels for additional communication with students exists.

In this study, the researcher investigates the students’ perception of a new BL approach, tests if they are ready for these innovations, and obtains feedback through the action research. The researcher as a HRM module leader creates his own HRM channel for his students in Telegram (Russian analog of WhatsApp) and shares all additional information with his students weekly, letting them read all the articles, watch videos and study on-the-go. The present study proposes the use of Messengers as an additional tool to regular Intranet/Blackboard software.

This research is useful in providing teaching practitioners with a mechanism of creating proper education content in messengers and suggesting approach that perfectly contributes universities in following areas:
* Smartening Teaching/Learning processes and environments
* Sustaining student experience and engagement

Keywords:

Blended Learning, Teaching and Learning, Technologies, Communication Channels, Digital Content, Messengers, Inclusivity.