INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR STUDENT ASSESSMENT: EXPERIENCES FROM A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION PROJECT AT VILNIUS UNIVERSITY

The presentation discusses the results and experiences of a project, implemented at Vilnius University. The aim of the project was to aid student assessment by developing two IT tools: computer-based examination system and plagiarism detection software. The examination system provides possibility of student examination on the basis of both test and other forms of questions (essay, number questions etc.), statistical analysis on separate exam questions and exam results. The plagiarism detection system is based on a data base of Vilnius University Electronic Thesis and Dissertations, which was started to be collected in 2004, and was supplemented with term papers for the purposes of the project. During the project, a software package was developed and integrated into the data base, which allows comparing the papers among each other and detecting possible cases of plagiarism.

The idea of the project was generated in 2004 already, and was implemented in 2006-2008. The project was financed by EU Structural Funds. As a result of the project, the Examination Centre at Vilnius University was established, which is working to support the developed systems and to work on developing and implementing further ideas and tools regarding the application of IT in education.

In the presentation, the experience of the project will be discussed regarding the software development (it was independently developed by a Lithuanian IT company); the organizational questions (involvement of teachers to test the computer-based examination); integration of the examination and the plagiarism-detection systems into the studies information system of Vilnius University; and the adoption of the examination system by its users, both students and teachers. The attitudes of the users of the system will be presented on the basis of the surveys, performed during and after the implementation of the project. The surveys showed mostly positive reactions to the new system, whereby the advantages of the system, indicated by its users, corresponded to the expectations of project developers (easy examination of the big flows of students, objectivity of examinations, aid to educational process by the statistical analysis of assessment results).