Utilization of timetable management system to IT faculty at University of Moratuwa

Abstract

University timetable construction is a laborious and complicated task when there are large number of course arrays and limited resources. Often, the timetable administrator, solve these problems of scheduling. However, the results may always fully optimal. Every academic year, faculty of IT faces the rigorous task of preparing timetables. Although the current manually operated, timetable system is efficient enough to carry out the courses without clashes, it is very time consuming and resource optimization problems occur due to insufficient lab resources and hall facilities. not The endeavor ofthis work is to find out a proper near optimal solution for this highly constrained combinational timetabling problem. The efficient utilization ofthe resources is the main objective. After a better literature survey, it could found, by evolutionary techniques based on Darwin’s theories can exploit to construct an automated timetable management system to the Information Technology faculty at University of Moratuwa. The theory named Genetic Algorithm and selected it to develop the main logic of the timetable management system. Probabilistic operators such as selection, crossover and mutation in GA, are used to plan proper timetable. Each individual is called chromosome and its validity must be evaluated using a fitness function in the implementation process. Chromosomes with higher fitness value considered as optimal solution or timetable schedules. Those optimal solutions will be further refined by manually in a lesser time. The main stakeholders ofthis process will be admin of the timetable system, lecturers and the students. Interviews and observation were the main methods of data collection. PHP and Yii framework, MySQL database management system and some other software used to design and develop this timetable management system. The system was tested by using black box testing, white box testing and efficiency test. Moreover, it was evaluated using number of evaluation techniques such as interviews, observation and questionnaires. To conclude, this timetable management system automatically generates good quality timetables while optimizing the resources to the IT faculty at university ofMoratuwa..