CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

A faculty scheduling system is a critical tool for educational institutions to manage faculty
members' schedules and ensure that courses are assigned to the appropriate faculty members.
This system helps to ensure that faculty members are assigned courses based on their
expertise, qualifications, and availability. To load a course for a faculty member for a
semester, the faculty scheduling system must first have access to the school's curriculum.
The curriculum is a set of courses and programs that an educational institution offers,
including course descriptions, credit hours, and prerequisites. The first step in loading a
course for a faculty member is to gather information about their expertise and preferences.
This involves collecting data on the faculty member's teaching history, research interests,
and areas of expertise. This information is then used to match the faculty member with a
course that aligns with their skills and interests. For example, if a faculty member specializes
in finance, the scheduling system will attempt to assign them a finance-related course. Once
the scheduling system has identified a suitable course for the faculty member and determined
their availability, it needs to check the availability of classrooms and other resources needed
to offer the course. This involves checking the availability of classrooms, labs, and other
facilities required for the course. If the necessary resources are not available, the system may
need to reschedule the course or assign it to a different faculty member. (Adriaen, M., et al,
2006).

The scheduling system also needs to consider other factors such as class size and student
needs. It needs to ensure that the course is assigned to a faculty member who can handle the
class size and meet the needs of the students. For example, if a course has a large number of
international students, the system may assign it to a faculty member who has experience
teaching in a multicultural environment. The next step is to determine the faculty member's
availability. This involves checking their existing teaching schedule, committee assignments,
and other obligations to ensure that they have enough time to teach the course. The
scheduling system also needs to take into account the faculty member's workload and assign
courses accordingly. For example, if a faculty member is already teaching two courses in a
semester, the system will try to avoid assigning them a third course. Once the curriculum is
available in the faculty scheduling system, the process of loading a course for a faculty
member can begin.
There are several requirements to develop this system, most important of which are inputting
the number of teachers, their names, as well as the specifications of the subjects they teach,
Then the classrooms codes are entered so that the system can analyze the priorities according
to the subject specification and teachers teaching load, especially in cases where classes are
taught consecutively. The system distributes classes to teachers automatically after the
classrooms’ numbers are entered. It determines allocation of the daily number of teaching
hours for a certain subject, subject priorities for distribution, the number of hours a subject is
taught weekly, and the maximum number of consecutive teaching hours to be assigned for
each teacher.

1.1 Background of the study

Faculty scheduling is an essential task for higher educational institutions, as it is directly

linked to the effective functioning of the academic programs. The scheduling process
involves assigning faculty members to courses and other academic responsibilities, taking
into consideration factors such as availability, workload, and expertise. In recent years, the
use of technology to automate faculty scheduling has become increasingly common, as it can
help to streamline the process, reduce errors, and save time. Faculty scheduling systems are
software tools that automate the scheduling process, making it easier for administrators to
manage the complex task of assigning faculty members to various academic responsibilities.
These systems typically use algorithms to match faculty members with courses and other
tasks based on a set of predefined rules and criteria. Studies have shown that faculty
scheduling systems can significantly reduce the time and effort required to schedule faculty
members. For example, a study conducted by Alizadeh and Arefi (2016) developed a faculty
scheduling system using a hybrid of genetic algorithm and linear programming. The system
was tested in a large university in Iran and was found to reduce the time required for
scheduling by more than 70%. The study also found that the system could effectively
manage faculty workload, reduce errors, and improve fairness in workload distribution.
(Alizadeh et al., 2016).
Another study by Clark and Bussmann (2018) examined the impact of a faculty scheduling
system on a small liberal arts college in the United States. The system used a combination of
automated scheduling and manual adjustment, and was found to significantly reduce the time
and effort required for scheduling. The study also found that the system helped to improve
communication between faculty members and administrators, as well as reducing the risk of
scheduling conflicts and errors.

The eminent need to investigate and develop automated schedule suitable for a institution
was exorbitant especially to shared resources across departments and colleges. The user
acceptance of new Information Technology (IT) influential factors is of interest to
stakeholders which are the pivotal needs to address the outset of technology development.
The development must be viable, and utilization of the technology improves organizational
performance and efficiency. Integrating technological intervention and the development into
a total system are some of the hardest tasks for the consultant to execute (Appelbaum, 1997).
Faculty scheduling allows instructors to visualize how their workloads should begin and
when it is due. This proverbial plan gives them insight into the importance of their individual
responsibility, which impacts their efficiency. Most universities and colleges in the Nigeria
are mostly using a manual process in scheduling that adds burden to the department heads in
assigning or loading courses to the instructors, monitoring and updating schedules. The
downside of the manual programming approach is that the scheduler cannot look at every
combination of plans and evaluate which is best (Bellardo, 2010).
The course scheduling process of the Federal Polytechnic Ede starts with identifying the
faculty and their expertise. All departments have the same set of General Education
instructors. Thus, department heads need to coordinate with other department heads to
ascertain the time schedules for a particular course. Students’ educational development may
put to challenge when the teachers’ needs are unfounded. Department heads need to see first
the existing faculty load to check the availability of the teacher whenever a new course
schedule created, especially for General Education courses. (Shih et al, 2012).
It is important to ensure proper time allocation for teachers to organize their schedules and to
set the stage to communicate students what exactly are expected of them. The extreme
importance of a school timetable allows the teacher to identify student behaviors that must
directly teach him, which in turn, helps him develop greater student autonomy,
responsibility, and self-control. With a clear class schedule, instructors will achieve
satisfaction and better results. Clear class scheduling makes the work of an instructor
structured and routine, well planned, flexible, focused, and disciplined. Course schedules,
ideally, shall serve the best interest of the students, teacher and the school itself. An optimal
computer aided class scheduling and faculty loading system can assists academic heads to
better manage resources, increased productivity and efficiency in preparing class schedules.
1.2 Statement of the problem

The current manual process of assigning courses, lecturers, and halls for a faculty for a
semester is time-consuming and error-prone. It is challenging to consider all factors such as
course size, timing, faculty preferences, hall availability, and equipment requirements while
creating a schedule manually. This leads to scheduling conflicts, inefficient use of resources,
and dissatisfaction among faculty and students. Therefore, there is a need for an automated
faculty scheduling system that can streamline the process and ensure efficient allocation of
courses, lecturers, and halls for a faculty for a semester according to the school curriculum.

1.3 Aim and objective of the study

The aims and objectives of a faculty scheduling system include:

I. Efficiently assign faculty members to courses and other academic activities while
ensuring that there are no conflicts or overlaps in schedules. The system should be
designed to reduce the time and effort required to create schedules manually.

II. The system should ensure that the workload is distributed fairly among all faculty
members. The workload should be distributed in a way that no faculty member is
overburdened or underutilized.

III. The system should facilitate communication between faculty members, administrators,
and other stakeholders involved in the scheduling process. It should provide timely
notifications, reminders, and updates to all concerned parties about any changes in the
schedule.

IV. Flexibility: The system should be flexible enough to accommodate different types of
scheduling requirements, such as multiple shifts, part-time faculty, or different course
durations. It should also allow for easy adjustments and modifications to the schedule
when needed.

V. The system should provide useful reports and analytics to help administrators and
faculty members evaluate the effectiveness of the scheduling process. This can include
metrics such as workload distribution, faculty utilization, and student satisfaction.

1.4 Significance of the study

An effective faculty scheduling system can significantly improve the efficiency of the
scheduling process by automating the allocation of faculty members to courses and academic
activities. This can save time and resources for educational institutions, allowing them to
focus on other critical tasks. The study of a faculty scheduling system can help ensure that
the workload is distributed fairly among all faculty members. This can improve morale and
job satisfaction, leading to better retention rates and improved academic outcomes. An
optimized faculty scheduling system can help educational institutions optimize their costs by
reducing the need for additional faculty members or overtime pay. This can help institutions
save money and invest in other areas of their operations. A well-designed faculty scheduling
system can help ensure that classes are taught by qualified and engaged faculty members,
which can improve the overall student experience. This can lead to higher retention rates,
better academic outcomes, and improved student satisfaction. Data-driven decision-making:
The study of a faculty scheduling system can provide educational institutions with valuable
data on faculty utilization, workload distribution, and other key metrics. This data can be
used to inform strategic decision-making and optimize resource allocation.

Overall, the study of a faculty scheduling system is significant because it can help
educational institutions improve efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the quality of
education they provide to students. By ensuring that classes are taught by qualified and
engaged faculty members, institutions can improve the overall academic experience and
outcomes for their students.

1.5 Scope of the study

The software currently will be a web-based software that can be used on personal computer
or company computer. The expected end product for this project would be a system that can
performs tin-depth analysis of the current scheduling process used by the institution. This
will help identify the challenges faced by the faculty and the administrators in scheduling
classes, meetings, and other academic activities. Based on the analysis, the project will
identify the key requirements of the scheduling system. This may include features such as
automated scheduling, conflict resolution, room allocation, and resource management. The
project will involve the design and development of the scheduling system. This may include
the creation of a user interface, database design, and integration with other systems used by
the institution.
Last scope for this project would be the user friendliness of the project. Provide more user-
friendly software will improve the experience of user using the software. For example, better
sorting of the timetable details is able to improve user experience.

1.6 Limitation of the study

a) Technical constraints: The development of a scheduling system can be technically

challenging and may require significant expertise in software engineering, database
design, and user interface design. The project team may face technical constraints that
limit the functionality or scalability of the system.

b) Data privacy concerns: The scheduling system will likely store a significant amount of
personal and sensitive data about faculty members and students. The project team must
ensure that the system complies with data privacy regulations and that the data is kept
secure.

c) User adoption: A scheduling system is only effective if it is widely adopted by the

faculty and staff of the institution. The project team must ensure that the system is user-
friendly and meets the needs of its intended users to encourage adoption.

d) Organizational culture: Some academic institutions may have established scheduling

processes or cultures that are resistant to change. The project team must work to
overcome any resistance to change and ensure that the system is compatible with
existing organizational practices.

e) Financial constraints: Developing a scheduling system can be expensive, especially if

it requires integration with existing systems. The project team must consider the
financial constraints of the institution and work to develop a cost-effective solution.

1.7 Definition of terms

I. Faculty scheduling system: A software application that helps educational institutions

manage and organize their faculty members' teaching schedules, course assignments,
and related information.

II. Course: A specific subject or topic that is taught by a faculty member to a group of
students.
III. Faculty member: An individual who teaches courses at an educational institution, such
as a professor, lecturer, or instructor.

IV. Schedule: A plan or timetable that shows when faculty members are teaching courses
and when those courses are taking place.

V. Availability: The periods of time when a faculty member is available to teach a course
or take on other responsibilities.

VI. Conflict: A situation where a faculty member's schedule overlaps with another course or
commitment, making it impossible for them to fulfill both obligations.

VII. Load: The amount of work or teaching responsibilities assigned to a faculty member,
often measured in terms of the number of courses they are teaching.

VIII. Preference: A request or requirement made by a faculty member regarding their

teaching schedule or course assignments, such as a preferred time slot or course topic.

IX. Constraints: Limitations or rules that must be considered when creating a faculty
schedule, such as maximum class sizes or required courses for specific majors.

X. Optimization: The process of finding the best possible schedule that meets all of the
constraints and preferences of faculty members and the educational institution.