COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE FUNCTIONAL CAPABILITIES OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS UNDER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Keywords:
digital transformation, higher education, digital platforms, information systems, functional capabilities, comparative assessment, automation, interoperability, information security, digital governance.Abstract
This article examines the functional capabilities of digital platforms and information systems used in higher education institutions under conditions of digital transformation. The study focuses on how such systems support management automation, electronic data exchange, document-related processes, monitoring, interoperability, usability, and information security. A comparative assessment framework was developed to identify functional strengths, limitations, overlaps, and areas requiring further improvement. The research combined systematic, comparative, and functional analysis with expert-oriented assessment and grouping methods. Seven evaluation criteria were defined: functional coverage, process automation, data exchange, integration and interoperability, monitoring and control, usability, and information security. Each criterion was interpreted through a three-level qualitative scale reflecting high, medium, or low functional performance. The analysis shows that the effectiveness of institutional digitalization depends not only on the availability of individual digital tools but also on the coherence of their functions and their capacity to exchange data across organizational processes. Fragmented systems may create duplicate operations, repeated data entry, information discontinuities, and additional administrative workload. The proposed framework therefore emphasizes interoperability, coordinated functionality, secure data processing, and management transparency as essential characteristics of an effective digital environment. The study offers a structured methodological basis for comparing digital platforms without limiting the assessment to a specific software product. Its practical value lies in supporting higher education institutions in identifying functional gaps, prioritizing modernization measures, improving digital governance, and developing a more integrated, reliable, and efficient institutional information environment for sustainable management and evidence-based decisionmaking. across academic, administrative, strategic, operational, and institutional development processes. sustainably.
References
1. Fernández, A., Gómez, B., Binjaku, K., & Kajo Meçe, E. (2023). Digital transformation initiatives in higher education institutions: A multivocal literature review. Education and Information Technologies, 28, 12351–12382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11544-0
2. OECD. (2023). OECD Digital Education Outlook 2023: Towards an Effective Digital Education Ecosystem. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/c74f03de-en
3. Vincent-Lancrin, S., & González-Sancho, C. (2023). Interoperability: Unifying and maximising data reuse within digital education ecosystems. In OECD Digital Education Outlook 2023. OECD Publishing.
4. OECD. (2023). Country Digital Education Ecosystems and Governance: A Companion to Digital Education Outlook 2023. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/906134d4-en
5. Singun, A. (2025). Unveiling the barriers to digital transformation in higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Discover Education, 4, Article 37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00430-9
6. Castro Benavides, L. M., Tamayo Arias, J. A., Arango Serna, M. D., Branch Bedoya, J. W., & Burgos, D. (2020). Digital Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review. Sensors, 20(11), 3291. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113291
7. Farias-Gaytan, S., Aguaded, I., & Ramirez-Montoya, M.-S. (2023). Digital transformation and digital literacy in the context of complexity within higher education institutions: A systematic literature review. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, 386. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01875-9
8. UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report Team. (2023). Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in education—A tool on whose terms? UNESCO.
9. Classification of Barriers to Digital Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: Systematic Literature Review. (2023). Education Sciences, 13(7), 746. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070746
10. Digital maturity of universities: A research concept and an introductory study. (2024). Procedia Computer Science, 246, 4251–4259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2024.09.274
11. Bravo-Jaico, J., Maquen-Niño, G. L. E., Germán, N., Valdivia, C., Alarcón, R., Aquino, J., & Serquén, O. (2025). Assessing digital transformation maturity in higher education institutions: A correlational analysis by actors and dimensions. Frontiers in Computer Science, 7, 1549262.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomp.2025.1549262
12. Yilmaz, M. K., Sensu, S. E., Zehir, M., Kusakci, A. O., & Bulut, M. A. (2026). A framework for assessing digital maturity at higher education institutions. Discover Education, 5, Article 709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-026-01734-0
13. Bisri, A., Putri, A., & Rosmansyah, Y. (2023). A systematic literature review on digital transformation in higher education: Revealing key success factors. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 18(14). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v18i14.40201
14. Rêgo, B. S., Lourenço, D., Moreira, F., & Pereira, C. S. (2024). Digital transformation, skills and education: A systematic literature review. Industry and Higher Education, 38(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222231208969
15. Joshi, S., & Srivastava, A. P. (2025). Trends in digital transformation (DT) of higher education institutes (HEI): Bibliometric and systematic review of 13 years. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 17(5), 2186–2203. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-02-2024-0084
