Slack It to Me: Complementing LMS With Student-Centric Communications for the Millennial/Post-Millennial Student

Abstract

Past research has found that students and instructors may be disaffected with many of the most widely used learning management systems (LMS). Other research has found that Millennials and post-Millennials have come to expect open and frequent communication and technologies that facilitate greater teamwork in their business careers. The purpose of this article is to first assess the general attitudes and perceptions of widely used LMS platforms in creating an engaging student learning experience and then present and assess Slack, a business communications tool, as an LMS complement. The author finds that many of the LMS platforms present challenges for students and instructors with respect to course communications, and group communications in particular. The author also finds that Slack positively enhances students’ perceptions of the marketing class as a real-world experience, as well as enhances perceived learning outcomes from groupwork.