ORGANIZATIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL FACTORS OF EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY IN BLENDED LEARNING AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This article offers a theoretical synthesis of current scholarly approaches to understanding blended learning in higher education through the lens of educational inequality. It starts from the idea that blended learning should not be seen only as a technical combination of face-to-face and online instruction or as a universal way to make the educational process more flexible. The article shows that its effect on educational access depends not simply on the use of digital platforms, LMS, Moodle, or webinar services, but on the quality of managerial, coordination, and digital-pedagogical decisions that shape the learning environment. The purpose of the article is to provide a theoretical overview of research on blended learning and to identify the organizational, coordination, and pedagogical practices that either expand or limit educational opportunities for different groups of learners. The study is based on analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, and thematic grouping of recent academic publications. The review of sources suggests that barriers to participation in blended learning are technical, organizational, pedagogical, and psychological in nature. These barriers are linked to difficult course navigation, fragmented platforms and communication channels, overload from asynchronous work, low visibility of support, weak coordination across courses, and uneven levels of digital and information readiness among learners. The article argues that many of these barriers arise not only from individual learner difficulties but also from the way the learning environment itself is organized. For this reason, they can be treated as an indicator of an institution’s capacity to design and manage blended learning in a consistent and purposeful way. The synthesis of scholarly publications also made it possible to identify supportive practices that reduce the risk of educational exclusion. These include clear course structure, stable communication, repeated and varied access to learning materials, formative assessment, workload coordination, and timely learner support. The article shows that when there is no coherent organizational logic, blended learning may intensify rather than reduce educational inequality. The practical value of the study lies in clarifying key directions for improving the digital environment, pedagogical interaction, and institutional coordination in higher education.