PREPARATION OF FACULTY TIME TABLE : AN ANALATICAL APPROACH

Abstract

Preparation of a faculty time table is a major administrative activity in any faculty. With the introduction of course unit system, the students are given flexibility to follow course units from various departments not only in the faculty but also from other faculties. These cause more complexities in the preparation of time tables. Any systematic method is not seen in the current procedure of preparation of time table in the Faculty of Science. Changes have to be done frequently during the first couple of weeks in each semester due to various reasons such as time and class room clashes. This study is focused on developing an algorithm for the preparation of faculty time table. This algorithm contains a sequence of five steps. The first four steps are developed using the concept in Set Theory. The last step is developed for allocation of class rooms/lecture halls with maximum utilization. Using the algorithm a computer-based system for time and class room allocation has been developed. We use the data of Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya for the validation of the system. The benefits of this approach are; 1. Optimal utilization of class rooms. 2. Elimination of clashes between and within the subjects. 3. Elimination of timetable constraints on selection of elective or auxiliary course units.