Patchwork LMS practices: student coordination across fragmented digital learning environments in Vietnamese higher education

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become central to the digital transformation of higher education, yet their implementation often remains uneven, particularly in resource-constrained contexts. This study examines how students in Vietnamese public universities navigate fragmented LMS environments. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 15 undergraduate students and recent graduates, the study identifies “patchwork LMS practices,” defined as students’ satisficing coordination strategies through which formal and informal digital resources are assembled to sustain academic work under fragmented institutional conditions. The findings show that students used institutionally recognised platforms when formal authority mattered, faster communication channels when immediacy was needed, personal backups when reliability was uncertain, and peer networks when institutional communication was unclear. These practices were contextually rational responses to incomplete information, inconsistent platform use, variable lecturer practices, and uncertain institutional coordination. While such practices supported short-term learning continuity, they also shifted part of the burden of digital coordination onto students. The study contributes to LMS research by moving beyond adoption-focused accounts and foregrounding student coordination after partial or uneven LMS implementation.