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.
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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.
