=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3723/paper14
|storemode=property
|title=Modern trends of communications in higher education: problems and prospects
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3723/paper14.pdf
|volume=Vol-3723
|authors=Roman Peleshchak,Andrii Khudyi,Ihor Matviy,Roman Miroshnyk,Iryna Bahlai,Lina Halaz
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/modast/PeleshchakKMMBH24
}}
==Modern trends of communications in higher education: problems and prospects==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3723/paper14.pdf
Modern trends of communications in higher education:
problems and prospects
Roman Peleshchak†, Andrii Khudyi†, Ihor Matviy†, Roman Miroshnyk∗,†, Iryna Bahlai† and
Lina Halaz†
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Stepan Bandera str, 12, Lviv, 79013, Ukraine
Abstract
An overview of modern trends and problems of communications in higher education was conducted. A
model of the system of communication tools of universities with participants in educational processes
was formed, depending on the purpose of communications. The participants of the communication
process between the university and stakeholders (interested persons) have been identified. Four basic
university communication tools are defined: online learning platforms; official websites and corporate
mail of universities; messengers and social networks. The trends in the number of users of popular
social networks, messengers and online platforms for learning are considered. It is proposed for
universities to use social networks and messengers for different target groups. Formed functions of
the communication system between universities and stakeholders (interested persons). Trends in the
change of users of social networks and messengers in the world are predicted. Recommendations for
further activation of university communications with stakeholders (interested persons) have been
developed.
Keywords
education, university, communication, students, teachers, applicants, messengers, social networks,
online learning platforms, official websites, corporate mail1
1. Introduction
In the modern conditions of globalization, informatization and rapid development of
technologies, scientific communication becomes a key component of the successful activity of a
higher education institution of any form of ownership or scientific team. Changes in the modern
world determine both the forms and means of scientific communication. Traditional methods
such as face-to-face meetings, publications, conferences and correspondence remain relevant,
but along with them new practices based on information and communication technologies are
emerging. Online learning platforms, social networks, and other digital tools open up new
opportunities for the exchange of ideas and collaboration between scientists around the
MoDaST-2024: 6th International Workshop on Modern Data ScienceTechnologies, May, 31 - June, 1, 2024, Lviv-Shatsk,
Ukraine
∗Corresponding author.
†These authors contributed equally.
roman.m.peleshchak@lpnu.ua (R. Peleshchak); andrii.m.khudyi@lpnu.ua (A. Khudyi); ihor.y.matvij@lpnu.ua
(I. Matvij); roman.o.miroshnyk@lpnu.ua (R. Miroshnyk); iryna.y.bahlai@lpnu.ua (I. Bahlai); lina.v.halaz@lpnu.ua
(L. Halaz).
0000-0002-0536-3252 (R. Peleshchak); 0000-0003-2029-7270 (A. Khudyi); 0000-0003-4584-2060 (I. Matvij);
0000-0002-1408-8619 (R. Miroshnyk); 0000-0001-5440-2601 (I. Bahlai); 0000-0002-1672-7402 (L. Halaz).
© 2024 Copyright for this paper by its authors.Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
world. They help increase the availability of scientific information and increase its impact on
society.
The development of information technologies and the emergence of new means of
communication expand the possibilities of scientific research and contribute to the rapid
dissemination of information. However, the scientific community also faces challenges such as
information noise, fake news and information overload. That is, along with the advantages there
are also challenges. For example, it is necessary to resolve issues regarding the quality and
reliability of information published on the Internet. It is also important to ensure openness and
transparency in scientific research to increase public trust in scientific knowledge.
Therefore, the development of scientific communication in the modern world requires
innovative approaches and constant adaptation to changes in the technological and social
environment. Only in this way will the scientific community be able to effectively influence
social processes and contribute to scientific progress.
From a sociological point of view, communications in the scientific environment represent a
complex system of social interactions aimed at the acquisition, accumulation and dissemination
of scientific knowledge. This system uses various channels, means and tools of communication
to achieve its goals.
As the world is changing rapidly, new forms of communication and strategies are becoming
increasingly important for the scientific community and higher education
institutions. Therefore, it is important that research teams learn and master new methods of
communication, such as online conferences and social networks, which open up new
opportunities for communication and collaboration.
Current trends in communications in higher education reflect rapid and significant changes
in the ways universities, students, faculty, and other stakeholders interact. Digital
communications in the form of the Internet and social networks are becoming the main
channels of communication in higher education. Universities are actively using websites, emails,
blogs and social media to communicate with students, promote events and communicate
important information. With the development of technology, the format of online courses and
webinars is becoming increasingly popular, allowing students to access quality education
regardless of their place of residence and schedule. Universities are improving their
communication strategies, placing greater emphasis on the individual needs and interests of
students. This includes personalized messages, advice and support. The growing international
mobility of students and teachers leads to more active intercultural
communication. Universities focus their efforts on creating international exchange programs,
cross-cultural events and other initiatives to promote mutual understanding and cooperation.
Modern universities place more emphasis on interaction and cooperation between students
and teachers. This includes joint projects, student organizations, forums and other initiatives
that increase student participation in university life. Constant updating of its technical means
and information systems helps ensure effective communication and convenient access to
resources for all participants in the educational process.
These trends indicate the constant development of the communication environment in
universities and emphasize the importance of effective communication for achieving success in
higher education.
The purpose of the article is to highlight modern trends in scientific communication in
institutions of higher education and to study how scientific teams of higher education, the
student community and external entities perceive them. This is important in order to
understand how to improve the communication system in the university environment and
ensure effective interaction between all participants of the scientific process.
2. Related works
Problems of communication in institutions of higher education are devoted to the work of
both Ukrainian and foreign scientists. Research conducted by domestic scientists A.O.
Lytvynchuk, G.M. Tereshchenko, S.L. Londar, M.O. Horna are devoted to the use of information
and communication technologies (ICT) in education. These studies consider ICT as a key tool for
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the UN General Assembly Resolution
"Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development".
One of these goals is to ensure quality education and stimulate learning opportunities
throughout life, ensuring the educational process covers all those who wish. ICT, as emphasized
by S.L. Lodnar, A.O. Lytvynchuk and G.M. Tereshchenko, play a key role in ensuring access to
education, in particular for pupils and students with special needs [1, 2].
The use of ICT in educational institutions makes it possible to create accessible and adaptive
learning environments that take into account the individual needs of each student. This means
that e-learning tools can be customized for different types and levels of disabilities to provide
comprehensive access to knowledge.
In addition, ICT can make the learning process more interesting and engaging, thanks to
visualization of material, interactive exercises and opportunities for communication and
collaboration. This contributes not only to the assimilation of knowledge, but also to the
development of creativity, critical thinking and other key skills. Thus, the use of ICT in education
not only meets the requirements of modern times, but is also a necessary step in the
implementation of global efforts to ensure quality education and the implementation of the
principles of sustainable development for all population groups.
In his work, the author Zharska I.O. focuses on such issues as the influence of the Internet on
marketing communications of universities with applicants, the basic principles of organizing
marketing communications in the digital environment, the use of Internet marketing tools to
attract the attention of applicants. Approaches to determining the strategy of interacting with
the audience on the Internet are interesting: personalization, interactivity, content marketing,
and determining trends in the development of higher education marketing in the online
environment [4].
Kisyolek A., Bondarenko Yu., and Ohinok, S. in their article analyze the popularity of
Ukrainian institutions of higher education in the online environment [5]. A set of factors that
influence the popularity of these institutions are studied, namely: the level of online presence,
activity in social networks, ratings in the relevant rating systems, as well as feedback and user
reviews are determined. This comprehensive approach allows you to get a more complete
picture of the status and reputation of each institution among the virtual community.
The conducted research is extremely useful for potential students and applicants, as it
provides an opportunity to objectively assess the attractiveness of each university based on its
online presence and overall impression of it on the Internet. This allows prospective students to
make an informed choice about the educational institution that best meets their needs and
expectations.
In addition, the analysis of the popularity of Ukrainian universities in the online environment
can be useful for managers in the field of education. It allows us to understand exactly how
higher education institutions are perceived by the public and how their reputation affects the
demand for educational programs and the overall competitiveness of universities. This, in turn,
may indicate the need and directions for improving communication strategies to promote the
institution and increase its attractiveness for students and researchers.
Worthy of attention is the study of the use of Internet marketing communication tools by
higher educational institutions authored by Kisiołek A., Karyy O. and Нalkiv L., which analyzes
the tools used by higher educational institutions to provide marketing communication via the
Internet. The study focuses on a comparative analysis between the use of Internet marketing
tools in Poland and Ukraine, which makes it possible to find out similar and different
approaches in both countries. Focuses on how higher education institutions use Internet
marketing tools to increase their appeal to prospective students and other target audiences [6].
An important tool of the communication process is the use of online learning platforms such
as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Moodle. The team of authors [7, 8] in their
work substantiates the prerequisites for the transition to distance education in conditions of
instability and the presence of threatening factors, considers the features of the most popular
online platforms for learning, compares the services offered to users of educational platforms.
The considered toolkit is able to significantly influence the construction of communication
chains between the university and other subjects.
The use of digital technologies for the communication process in institutions of higher
education is a direction of scientific research to which foreign scientists pay attention. In
particular, R. Saxena, P.P. Kaur, A. Saxena emphasize that due to the widespread use of
information technology in various countries, it is the best time to innovate new ideas on digital
platforms for education [9]. The article presents various tools and techniques for providing
quality education during remote work through digital media. These platforms can definitely be
used for the communication process at different levels.
In turn, M. Entradas, M. Bauer, F. Marcinkowski and J. Pellegrini offer a view on the
emergence of the practice of managing external relations of a modern university and the role of
scientific communication in this process. With the help of a representative sample of research
universities in four countries, an attempt is made to broaden the understanding of the function
of scientific communication and its niche in the modern university. Scholars separate scholarly
communication from corporate communication functions and examine how they are distributed
at different levels of the organization. Communication functions, according to scientists, can be
represented along the spectrum of decentralization: activities in the field of public relations and
marketing are more likely to be performed at the central level (central offices), and affairs in the
field of public relations and on are carried out at decentralized levels (for example, in specific
offices and/or scientific institutes, departments). This study shows that scholarly
communication is under-emphasized in central structures, suggesting that it is not a practice
that easily aligns with university corporate communication, but that scholarly communication
may increasingly find its niche in decentralized settings [10].
Summarizing the analysis of scientific works [3, 11, 12, 13], it can be concluded that the ways
of communication development in higher educational institutions, taking into account the
characteristics of consumers of educational services, the specifics of the activities of educational
institutions and the means of information transmission used by them, are insufficiently covered.
This makes it necessary to conduct additional research in this direction. The effective operation
of higher educational institutions largely depends on the professionalism of specialists in the
field of communications. In modern conditions, when the market of educational services is in a
state of instability and high competition, their work becomes critically important. Therefore the
study of the role of communications in the functioning of higher education, as well as the
problems and prospects of their development, is an urgent and necessary task.
The main goal of this study is the theoretical justification and development of practical
recommendations for the formation of an effective communication strategy for higher
educational institutions. In particular, the study of this topic involves the use of an integrated
approach to the transfer of information to potential users of educational services through online
learning platforms, official websites and university corporate mail, messengers and social
networks.
This study focuses on the need to pay attention to various aspects of communication
processes in the university environment, including internal and external communication,
interaction with students, teachers, administrative staff, as well as work with the public and the
development of an online presence. It is important to note that this study aims not only at
theoretical conceptualization, but also at the development of practical tools and
recommendations that will help higher education institutions improve their communication
strategy and increase the effectiveness of interaction with their audiences.
3. Methods
To conduct a study of the peculiarities of communication between universities and
participants in the educational process, the authors recommend using a methodology that
involves the selection of communication tools depending on the goal that the university sets for
communication, as well as depending on the category of stakeholders with whom
communication is planned.
The authors recommend highlighting three goals that the university sets for itself when
communicating with participants in the educational process. The choice of the communication
channel depends on the purpose of the universities' communication with stakeholders
(interested parties), which allows us to distinguish the following three purposes:
Informative goal – to provide comprehensive information on organizational issues,
educational processes, educational projects, class schedule, admission conditions, list of specialties;
Educational goal – the use of modern information and communication technologies directly
during the educational process (learning), online educational platforms, corporate mail, various
services, etc.;
Image goal – formation of a positive and successful brand of universities, positive business
reputation, successful image, recognition and popularity of universities in the market of educational
services.
Depending on the type of goal that the university sets for itself in communications, it is
recommended to choose an appropriate group of communication tools. For this, the authors
proposed a model of the system of communication tools of universities with participants in
educational processes depending on the purpose of communications (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Model of the system of communication tools of universities with stakeholders
depending on the purpose of communication
From Figure 1, it can be seen that the system of communication tools of the university has
three goals, which were described above. Also, the system of communication tools of the
university includes: corporate websites and e-mails, online platforms, social networks and
messengers.
In order to build the brand of the university as the best educational institution with a high
level of training of specialists, we recommend using the website and social networks. Here,
participants of the educational process will be able to get an idea of what is happening at the
university, read student reviews, view events (scientific, sports, educational, entertainment)
taking place at the educational institution, etc.
Social networks allow you to demonstrate the general atmosphere that prevails within the
walls of the university, to show all the advantages and prestige of being one of the members of
the community of this educational institution.
Correlation-regression analysis, which is the construction and analysis of an economic-
mathematical model in the form of a regression equation (correlation equation), will be used to
establish the dependence of the resulting characteristic on one or more characteristic-factors
characterizing the object of research. The use of correlation-regression analysis provides the
possibility of describing this dependence between the resulting feature and the feature-factor
with the help of mathematical tools, forecasting future results and evaluating the degree of
density of the connection between the features. The use of a graphic method provided
visualization and a compact presentation of the results of the correlation-regression analysis.
4. Experment
The study of the current state of the communication policy of universities in the world and in
Ukraine requires the identification of trends and the main directions of the development of
information processes. This requires focusing attention on the interested persons, the purpose of the
communication policy of the universities and the tools for communication with the surrounding
environment.
It is extremely important for universities to establish an effective communication process between
all stakeholders (interested parties) of the educational process, which include the following groups:
Students studying directly at universities;
Teachers (employees of universities) who directly carry out teaching, educational and
scientific activities;
Applicants – potential university entrants who are looking for a future profession and
educational institution;
Partners and other universities cooperating in scientific, educational, research or technical
activities;
Employers – enterprises and organizations searching for ready specialists among university
students;
State authorities and local self-government that directly or indirectly influence and regulate
the activities of universities in educational and scientific activities;
Public and charitable organizations that carry out various social activities and projects.
In order to establish an effective communication process of universities with all stakeholders, a
variety of tools are used. It should be noted that the variety of communication tools is influenced by
modern scientific and technical progress, which allows creating new information programs and
devices, new networks and algorithms for working with information. For the convenience of studying
their use, the authors consider it appropriate to divide communication tools into 4 groups: online
learning platforms; оfficial websites and corporate mail of universities; messengers; social networks.
Let's consider each of the groups of communication tools in more detail.
Online learning platforms have become more popular in recent years, which is due to both the
COVID-19 pandemic and the transition of universities and educational institutions to distance
education. This became an impetus for developers to create new platforms for learning and improve
existing online services.The following platforms for distance learning are popular in the world:
Microsoft Teams, Coursera, Udemy, Teachable, udemy, SkillShare, Moodle and a number of others
[14, 16, 17]. The number of users of the most popular online learning platforms is presented in Table
1.
Table 1
The number of users of online learning platform in the world, millions
Years Microsoft Teams Coursera Udemy
2018 8,0 35,0 38,0
2019 20,0 44,0 40,0
2020 75,0 71,0 44,0
2021 145,0 92,0 49,0
2022 270,0 118,0 52,0
2023 300,0 129,0 69,0
Source: developed by the authors based on [14, 16, 17]
As can be seen from Table 1, the online learning platform Microsoft Teams had only 8,0 million
users worldwide in 2018 and 300,0 million users in 2023. The online educational platform Coursera
had only 35,0 million users in 2018, but in 2023 the number of users increased to 129,0 million
users. The online educational platform Udemy had 38,0 million users in 2018 and 69,0 million users
in 2023.
Separately, we can single out the Zoom Conference service, which, although it is not a classic
online educational platform, allows you to conduct video classes, communicate between participants,
and send materials. Zoom Conference became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing
significant growth in both the number of new users and the market value of this service.
The next communication tools for universities are official websites and e-mails (Email). On these
resources, universities post information about the history and achievements of the educational
institution, current specialties and educational courses, news and events, class schedules for students
and teachers, and other important information. With the help of corporate mail, universities
communicate with stakeholders (interested persons). It should be noted that corporate websites and e-
mails (Email) are the first and oldest inventions in the system of information resources.
Messengers are the next communication tools used by universities. Messengers are programs and
applications that allow you to exchange messages using the Internet. The variety of messengers is
growing, and so are their options and additional features.Modern messengers include: Facebook
Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Snapchat, Discord, Signal, Skype, iMessage, Dust,
GoogleChat. The growth in the number of messenger users for 2018-2023 is shown in Table 2.
Table 2
Number of messenger users in world, millions
Years Facebook Telegram Viber WhatsApp Skype SnapChat
Messenger
2018 126,0 200,0 1074,0 1560,0 1430,0 188,0
2019 130,0 300,0 1150,0 1813,0 1550,0 203,0
2020 133,0 400,0 1169,0 2102,0 1670,0 238,0
2021 136,0 500,0 1200,0 2289,0 1800,0 293,0
2022 138,0 731,0 1300,0 2413,0 1950,0 347,0
2023 141,0 1068,0 1350,0 2482,0 2011,0 397,0
Source: developed by the authors based on [15, 18]
It can be seen from Table 2 that the most popular messenger in the world in 2023 was WhatsApp
with the number of users of 2482,0 million users. WhatsApp has been growing steadily since 2018,
when it had 1560,0 million users.In second place is the Skype messenger, which started its activity
back in 2004. If in 2018 Skype had 1430,0 million users, then in 2023 – 2011,0 million users. In third
place was the Viber messenger, which had 1074,0 million users in 2018, and 1350,0 million users in
2023. The Telegram messenger shows high dynamics of growth – if in 2018 it was used by 200.0
million users worldwide, then in 2023 this number increased to 1068,0 million users. The SnapChat
messenger shows growth dynamics from 188,0 million users in 2018 to 397,0 million users in 2023.
The last communication tool of universities with stakeholders (interested persons) is social
networks. Social networks have been actively developing in recent years, allowing users to
communicate, share information, observe trends, and more. Information on the number of users of the
most popular social networks in the world is presented in Table 3.
It can be seen from Table 2 that the most popular messenger in the world in 2023 was WhatsApp
with the number of users of 2482,0 million users. WhatsApp has been growing steadily since 2018,
when it had 1560,0 million users.In second place is the Skype messenger, which started its activity
back in 2004. If in 2018 Skype had 1430,0 million users, then in 2023 – 2011,0 million users. In third
place was the Viber messenger, which had 1074,0 million users in 2018, and 1350,0 million users in
2023. The Telegram messenger shows high dynamics of growth – if in 2018 it was used by 200.0
million users worldwide, then in 2023 this number increased to 1068,0 million users. The SnapChat
messenger shows growth dynamics from 188,0 million users in 2018 to 397,0 million users in 2023.
The last communication tool of universities with stakeholders (interested persons) is social
networks. Social networks have been actively developing in recent years, allowing users to
communicate, share information, observe trends, and more. Information on the number of users of the
most popular social networks in the world is presented in Table 3.
Table 3
The number of users of social networks in the world, millions
Years Facebook Instagram Linkedln Youtube Networks TikTok
X (formely
Twitter)
2018 2320,0 1000,0 556,0 1800,0 298,0 133,0
2019 2500,0 1210,0 604,0 2000,0 312,0 381,0
2020 2800,0 1520,0 690,0 2300,0 347,0 700,0
2021 2910,0 1890,0 756,0 2500,0 362,0 902,0
2022 2960,0 2270,0 830,0 2600,0 401,0 1366,0
2023 3050,0 2385,0 930,0 2680,0 540,0 1587,0
Source: developed by the authors based on [15, 18]
From Table 3, we can see that the most popular social network in the world remains Facebook
with 3050,0 million users in the world, while in 2018 the number of users of this network was 2320,0
million. Almost all companies, government institutions, charities, famous celebrities have pages on
this social network. Educational institutions, including universities, are no exception. Using
Facebook, universities can post up-to-date information about their activities, share photos and videos
from the educational process, results of conferences and seminars, meetings with famous
personalities, etc.
Youtube is the second most popular network in the world with 2680,0 million users in 2023. The
YouTube social network allows you to upload videos, comment on them, and from 2020 upload short
videos up to 60 seconds. Many universities, university departments or teachers have YouTube
channels that allow you to show lecture materials.
In third place is the social network Instagram with 2385,0 million users in the world in 2023. This
network showed a growth of almost 1,5 times compared to 2018, when 1000.0 million users were
registered. The growth of this network can be explained by its popularity among young people who
actively use this service. Instagram is popular among students, schoolchildren and applicants. Many
companies and universities create and maintain accounts on this network.
The Chinese social network TikTok is increasing in popularity. If in 2018 this network had 133,0
million users worldwide, then in 2023 the number of users increased to 1366,0 million users. TikTok
is very popular among the younger category of users – students, schoolchildren, applicants. This
service allows you to create short videos and upload them to the network. Users can share videos,
comment on videos, like, save videos, and more. This resource is actively used by commercial
companies to advertise their services and products. In recent years, universities, individual divisions
of universities, and individual teachers have been creating accounts on the TikTok network to share
information about educational courses, scientific achievements, and innovations in education.
In 2018, the LinkedІn social network had 556,0 million users. In 2023, there were 930,0 million
LinkedIn users worldwide. This network allows users to share their business contacts, publish their
resume, highlight their professional achievements, develop their career. The Linkedln network is used
by companies (employers), state authorities, and universities.
Network X (formely Twitter), unfortunately, is the least popular in the world, in particular in 2018
there were 298,0 million users worldwide. In 2023, the number of users of the X network (formely
Twitter) increased to 540,0 million users worldwide.The X Network (formely Twitter) is a
microblogging network that allows you to create and send short text messages between users. The X
network (formely Twitter) is popular in the USA, official pages in this network have both public
authorities, companies and universities.
5. Results
Studies of university communications with stakeholders make it possible to highlight the main
trends in modern conditions. In recent years, the number of users of social networks has been actively
growing (Table 1). Social networks plays a very important role in modern economic, political,
cultural, scientific and other spheres of human life. Social networks not only increase the number of
their followers around the world, but also improve their functionality. Users can better use social
networks to spread information, communicate, advertise their activities, create new content, etc.
The popularity of messengers in the world is also growing (Table 2). Developers of messengers
improve the functional properties of these programs and applications. This contributes to better
communication between participants in the communication process (for example, the university and
students).
In recent years, there has been an active development of online platforms for learning (Table 3).
The impetus for this was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the transition of educational
institutions to distance education. Online learning platforms are very diverse and have different
emphases. In particular, some online platforms can be focused on posting lecture materials and
practical classes for students, others on video lectures and communication between teachers and
students.
Taking into account six groups of stakeholders (interested parties) and existing popular social
networks and messengers, the authors recommended universities to use these communication tools in
the following way (Table 4).
Table 4
Recommended social networks and messengers for universities to communicate with
stakeholders (interested parties)
Stakeholders (interested Recommended social Recommended
parties) networks messengers
Students Instagram, TikTok, Youtube Telegram, Viber,
WhatsApp
Teachers (employees of Linkedln, Facebook, Youtube Viber, WhatsApp,
universities) Facebook Messenger
Applicants Instagram, TikTok, Youtube Telegram, Viber,
WhatsApp
Partners and other universities Linkedln, Facebook, Youtube Viber, WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger
Employers Linkedln, Facebook, Youtube Viber, WhatsApp,
Facebook Messenger
State authorities and local self- Facebook, Linkedln, Youtube Facebook Messenger,
government Viber, WhatsApp
Public and charitable Facebook, Linkedln, Youtube Facebook Messenger,
organizations Telegram, Viber
So, from Table 4, you can see that it is advisable to communicate with such groups of stakeholders
as "students" and "applicants" of the university through social networks Instagram, TikTok, Youtube
and use Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp messengers.
For the group of stakeholders "teachers" and "partners and other universities" of the university, it
is recommended to use social networks Linkedln, Facebook, Youtube and messengers Viber,
WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger.
For the group of stakeholders "state authorities and local self-government" of the university, it is
advisable to use social networks Facebook, Linkedln, Youtube and messengers Facebook Messenger,
Viber, WhatsApp.
For the group of stakeholders "public and charitable organizations" of the university, it is advisable
to use social networks Facebook, Linkedln, Youtube and messengers Facebook Messenger, Telegram,
Viber.
Using the proposed model (Figure 1), as well as three groups of goals (educational, image,
informational), the functions of the university's communication system for communicating with
stakeholders (interested parties) are highlighted and proposed (Table 5). These functions are
recommended for three main stakeholder groups: students, faculty, and applicants. These three groups
are the main communicators in the process of education, scientific research, implementation of
various projects, etc.
Table 5
Recommended functions of the university communication system for communication with
stakeholders (interested parties)
Stakeholders Recommended functions
(interested Educational Image Information
parties)
Students Conducting classes, A feeling of involvement Information about schedules of
lectures, seminars, and belonging to the the educational process,
exams, defense of scientific community conducting classes, news,
scientific projects, (student environment), announcements about future
obtaining which you want to brag scientific events (competitions,
educational about and which causes a conferences, olympiads), etc.
materials high level of satisfaction to
be one of the "chosen
ones"
Teachers Professional Formation of loyalty and Informing about organizational
development, dedication of teachers points of work, schedules of
exchange of (employees) to universities the educational process,
experience and (employers) orders, orders of the university
skills at open management, document
classes management, informing about
scientific events
Applicants Courses of The formation and desire Information about the features
preparation for to become one of the of the admissions campaign,
admission, students, the formation of rating lists, required
familiarization with the image and prestige of documents, events taking
the activities of being a student of this place at the university,
educational university availability of campuses,
institutions features of educational
programs, etc.
The use and strengthening of the recommended functions of the communication system will
allow to strengthen the competitive advantages of universities, to form a recognizable brand of
the educational institution, to improve the business image, to increase the efficiency of the
educational and training process, to use all the advantages of modern information technologies.
In general, universities will be able to attract talented students and teachers, implement grants
and research projects, improve their financial situation and material and technical base.
Based on statistical data on the number of users of educational online platforms, namely:
Microsoft Teams, Coursera, Udemy (Table 1), will present the general trend of their change for
the period 2018-2023 (Figure 2).
500
450
400
350
Users, millions
300
250 498
440
200
150 286
100 190
50 81 104
0
2018 2019 2020 Years 2021 2022 2023
Figure 2: The trend of changing the number of users of online learning platforms
As can be seen from the Figure 2, the trend of change in the number of users of educational
online platforms has an upward trend over the studied period. Also, a similar trend is observed
for each online educational platform in particular. It is also worth noting that this trend is
described by a trend line which is straight (Figure 3).
800
700 y = 91.114x - 52.4
R² = 0.9638
600
498
Users, millions
500 440
400
286
300
190
200
81 104
100
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Years
Figure 3: The trend line of changes on the number of users of educational online platforms
Taking into account the equation of the trend line and the value of the correlation coefficient,
which is close to 1, it is possible to predict the number of users in the near future. Thus, in 2024,
the forecast value of the number of users of educational online platforms will be 585 million
users, in 2025 – 676 million users.
The number of messenger users (Table 2) also has a tendency to increase during the studied
period (Figure 4).
7449
8000 6879
7000 6218
5712
6000 5146
Users, millions
4578
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Years
Figure 4: Chanding the number of messenger users
The trend of change in the number of messenger users is described by a trend line, which is
given by a linear function and a value of the correlation coefficient close to 1 (Figure 5).
10000
9000 y = 573.14x + 3991
8000 R² = 0.9991 7449
6879
7000 6218
Users, millions
5712
6000 5146
4578
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Years
Figure 5: Changing the number of messenger users
The forecast value of the number of messenger users in 2024 and 2025 will be 8003,0 and
8576,0 million users respectively.
The number of users of social networks during the studied period (Table 3) also has an
increasing tendency (Figure 6).
12000 11172
10427
10000 9320
Users, million 8357
8000 7007
6107
6000
4000
2000
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Years
Figure 6: Change in the number of users f social networks
The change in the number of users of social networks is described by a trend line, which is
given by a linear function and a value of the correlation coefficient close to 1 (Figure 7).
16000
14000 y = 1044.2x + 5076.9
R² = 0.9949
12000 11172
10427
Users, millions
9320
10000 8357
8000 7007
6107
6000
4000
2000
0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Years
Figure 7: The trend line of changes on the number of users of social networks
The forecast value of the number of social network users in 2024 will be 12386,0 million
users, and in 2025 – 13430,0 million users.
The conducted research shows that social networks have the largest annual increase in the
number of users, and online educational platforms have the smallest.
6. Discussions
In the modern conditions of the development of the economy and society, the role of
information technologies and communication processes (public administration, business,
education) is increasingly growing. The growing role of information in society is felt very
significantly: the use of special applications and services allows shopping, training, and
customer service without leaving home.
The invention of new technologies allows developers to create new social networks and
messengers, online platforms for learning, improve existing gadgets (add new functions and
capabilities, improve the process of communication and information exchange). This process
intensified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of quarantine
measures in most countries of the world. State institutions, banks, manufacturing enterprises,
as well as educational institutions were forced to either partially stop work or switch to a
remote form of work.
The growing role of information technology presents new challenges and opportunities for
universities. This, for example, facilitates scientific research, 3-D modeling of cultural and
historical objects, digitization of historical documents, etc. Information technologies allow
universities to better communicate with stakeholders, develop business relations, improve
scientific and educational processes, receive feedback from students, etc.
Development of social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedln, Youtube, X (formely
Twitter), TikTok), messengers (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Snapchat,
Discord, Signal, Skype, iMessage, Dust, GoogleChat) and online platforms (Microsoft Teams,
Coursera, Udemy, Teachable, Udemy, SkillShare, Moodle) is accompanied by changes. The
developers of these applications and services add new functions and tools. This allows both
users and universities to improve the communication process: exchange information, conduct
online classes, perform various scientific tasks, etc. It is not an exception that new social
networks, messengers and online platforms for learning will be created, and existing ones will
lose popularity.
It can be predicted that new user segments may appear in the category of stakeholders
(students, teachers, applicants, partners and other universities, employers, state authorities and
local self-government, public and charitable organizations). In particular, university graduates
who want to re-enroll in another specialty, or private entrepreneurs for their professional
development. In such cases, universities should develop such communication processes taking
into account the specifics of these stakeholders. For example, educational courses taking into
account the work experience of graduates who will be re-educated, educational programs for
private entrepreneurs, depending on the sphere of their operation. Universities in such cases
can add information to their official websites, make changes and improve their courses on
online learning platforms, etc. As an example, universities can look for potential students among
working people, in particular on the LinkedIn social network, where users share their
achievements and fields of employment. The use of various services and applications will allow
working people to attend online training courses, complete assignments, and communicate with
teachers in their spare time.
It is predicted that the number of users of social networks, messengers and online platforms
for learning will increase in the world. In particular, ordinary users can have accounts in several
social networks and messengers at once, or have several accounts in a social network. Also,
government institutions, commercial enterprises or universities have accounts in several social
networks and messengers. However, if in the case of universities, their number in the world
does not seriously change, then in the commercial sphere there is an increase in the number of
both private entrepreneurs and companies.
Conducted research indicates that in 2024 and 2025 there will be an increase in the number
of users of social networks, messengers and online platforms for learning. Thus, in 2024, the
forecast value of the number of users of educational online platforms will be 585,0 million
users, in 2025 – 676,0 million users. The forecast value of the number of messenger users in
2024 and 2025 will be 8003,0 and 8576,0 million users respectively. The forecast value of the
number of social network users in 2024 will be 12386,0 million users, and in 2025 – 13430,0
million users. The conducted research shows that social networks have the largest annual
increase in the number of users, and online educational platforms have the smallest.
7. Conclusions
Successful development of educational institutions, including universities, requires effective
management and use of all opportunities of the external environment. The information sphere
provides many opportunities for universities and students to develop. Accordingly an
effectively established communication system at the university with stakeholders should be a
management priority. The modern development of the economy and society is characterized by
the growing role of information technologies. The increase in the number of users of social
networks and messengers, the creation of new online platforms for learning allows universities
to be flexible, conduct distance learning, better inform their students and partners, and place
educational materials.
Six groups of stakeholders in the process of formation of the communication system have
been identified for universities: (students, teachers, applicants, partners and other higher
education institutions, employers, state authorities and local self-government bodies, public and
charitable organizations). It is recommended that universities use social networks and
messengers across stakeholder groups. In particular, it is advisable to communicate with such
groups of stakeholders as "students" and "applicants" of the university through social networks
Instagram, TikTok, Youtube and use messengers Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp.
The formed model of the system of means of communication of universities with
stakeholders includes 4 groups of tools: online learning platforms; official websites and
corporate mail of universities; messengers; social networks. This model assumes the following
three goals: an informative goal, an educational goal, and an image goal. The proposed functions
of the university communication system for communication with stakeholders (interested
parties), namely: students, teachers and applicants. The use of these functions will allow
universities to increase the effectiveness of the communication process.
The role of social networks and messengers in the process of communication and data
exchange is growing. The number and quality of online learning platforms are increasing,
allowing teachers to better organize the learning process, check assignments, and monitor
students' independent work. With the help of online learning platforms, students can be mobile,
start remotely, view training courses, communicate with teachers or other students.
In the course of further scientific research, a more detailed study of the tools of the
communication process will be an urgent issue. This will make it possible to determine their
impact on the effectiveness of student learning and to formulate recommendations for the
further communication policy of universities.
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