INFORMATION SYSTEM TO SUPPORT ASSESSMENT OF MASTER'S THESIS: AN EXAMPLE OF IMPLEMENTATION IN THE DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

Abstract

The digitization of education increasingly impacts fundamental business processes within modern higher education institutions. This study exemplifies the digitalization of specific processes involved in the preparation and presentation of master's thesis results. We have developed an information system designed to support the evaluation of master's theses through expert assessment and automated plagiarism detection, adhering to institutional regulations and general guidelines on academic integrity. Key business processes include user management, master's thesis evaluation management, and dissemination of research outcomes. These processes were decomposed following standards of structural and functional analysis and design, incorporating role assignment for potential system users. We propose implementing this system using the LMS Moodle platform, which facilitates resources for thesis text submission, document downloads, peer reviews, student counseling, and communication among educational stakeholders based on defined roles. Integration of the Unicheck plagiarism detection module within LMS Moodle enables efficient text similarity checks. Leveraging Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) technology supported by LMS Moodle, electronic educational resources from the university's educational and informational portal can be seamlessly integrated with the master's theses repository. The study emphasizes that establishing an information and educational environment within a higher education institution and consolidating a unified user base will streamline the implementation of the proposed information system both organizationally and technologically, minimizing costs.