MASENO UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

CIT 208: GROUP PROJECT FINAL REPORT

UNIVERSITY COURSE TIMESLOT GENERATOR

Name Reg.No Signature

Samuel Njeti CIT/00048/020
Barrack Getonto CIT/00075/021
Alfred Njeru CIT/00043/021
David Kiragu CIT/00052/020
Paul Manyala CIT/00040/021
Collins Wanjohi CIT/00061/021
Maxwell Nyutu CIT/00022/021
Cendrick Omondi CIT/00017/016

Date of submission:
 DECLARATION

We, Samuel Njeti, Barrack Getonto, Alfred Njeru, David Gatembei, Paul Manyala,
Collins Wanjohi, Maxwell Nyutu and Cendrick Omondi, hereby declare that the
University Course Time-slot Generator system we have developed is original and our
own work. We have not copied any part of the system from any other source, and we
have not used any unauthorized assistance in development. We have taken all
measures to ensure that our system will be error free and free from any possible
defects. However, we cannot guarantee that our system is 100% perfect, but are open
to any feedback and suggestions for improvement on our system from its users.
To specify, the purpose of developing this system is to develop a system that
can accurately and efficiently allocate course time-slots and generate a timetable that
is conflict-free within a short period of time in higher education institutions. We
believe that our University Course Time-slot Generator system has the potential to
make a significant contribution to the field of education. We believe that our system
will help to reduce the workload done by timetable schedulers, improve the efficiency
and accuracy of the time-slots allocation exercise and reduce conflicts during
timetable generation.
Supervisor: Signature: Date:

Name Signature Date

Samuel Njeti …………………….. …………………………
Barrack Getonto ……………………. ……………………
Alfred Njeru …………………… ……………………
David Gatembei …………………….. …………………………
Paul Manyala …………………….. …………………………
Collins Wanjohi …………………….. …………………………
Maxwell Nyutu …………………….. …………………………
Cendrick Omondi …………………….. …………………………
 DEDICATION

Firstly we do dedicate this University Course Time-slot Generator system to the

lecturers and students whose commitment to learning and teaching has inspired us to
continually improve and innovate in the field of education technology and specifically
in the aspect of course time-slots allocation and timetable generation. Your dedication
to pursuit of knowledge really drives us to make efforts towards this project. To our
family’s, for their unwavering love and encouragement. Also special dedications to
our project manager Mr. Wambwere for continued guidance in this project not also
forgetting all others who have made support towards the success of this project . We
really thank you for the support.
 ABSTRACT

Nowadays, timetabling is an important exercise carried out in educational institutions

in order to effectively manage the available time for teaching. Since, time may be
limited to accommodate all the academic activities in an institution, proper time
management measures needs to be applied. A huge number of scholars have tried to
come up with various systems which are designed to solve any conflicts that may
emerge during time allocation. Our project focuses on creating a web-based timetable
scheduler named as COURSEGEN. It uses decision support systems in order to solve
any conflicts that emerge during timetabling exercise. Time-slots are allocated based
on the lecturer’s preferences. The timetable scheduler login into the system and
register a lecturer. The lecturer then login using an email and a password and input his
or her preferences. After submitting the preferences the system allocates time-slots to
the lecturers and solves any conflicts that may emerge during the process. The
system’s performance is validated and evaluated using measures such as accuracy and
efficiency. COURSEGEN has many advantages such as efficient and smooth
timetable generating process, ability to solve conflicts during timetable generation, it
saves time and reduces the workload done by the timetable scheduler during timetable
generation. This abstract provides an overview of the project, including:
Problem Statement: This entails the challenges and complexities associated with
application of manual course scheduling in universities.
Objectives: These are the goals of the UCTGS, which include generating efficient
schedules, minimizing conflicts, and accommodating user preferences.
Methodology: The approach employed, including data collection, algorithm
selection, and user interface design.
Key Features: This elaborates the functionality of the UCTGS, such as course input,
constraint and schedule generation.
Evaluation: The methods used to assess the system's performance and effectiveness.
Conclusion: The comprises of the project's findings, contributions, and potential
future improvements.
 ACKNOWLEGMENT
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those who played a significant
role in the successful completion of this project.

First and foremost, we extend our thanks to our project supervisor,

Mr.Wambwere, for his unwavering support, guidance, insightful feedback and
expertise throughout this endeavor. His mentorship was instrumental in shaping the
project’s direction. Lastly we would like to extend our thanks to our families and
friends for their patience, encouragement, and belief in us, which provided the
motivation to persevere through challenges.
This project would not have been possible without the collective efforts of all these
individuals and institutions. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

DSS - Decision Support System

Reg.No - Registration Number
UCTGS- University Course Time slot Generator

DEFINITION OF TERMS
University Course Time-slot Generator : It is a software that allocates course time-
slots based on the preferences of the lecturers and generates the final timetable that is
conflict-free.

Course : An academic unit of study that covers a specific area of knowledge which is
offered by a university.

Time-slot : A defined period of time within a week that is used to schedule classes.

Algorithm : A set of instructions that is used to solve a problem.

User-interface : It is an interface which the users interacts with the course time-slot
generator system.

Conflict : An instance where two or more constraints are violated in the same
schedule.
 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

Traditionally, Universities have relied on manual methods,where timetable

schedulers manually assign time-slots to courses based on available resources and
faculty availability. However, this approach becomes increasingly challenging as the
number of courses, students and faculty members grows which often leads to conflicts
such as overlapping of classes or unbalanced resource utilization.
To address these challenges, Universities have started exploring the use of
decision support systems and automated algorithms to generate course timetables.
These systems uses computational power, optimization techniques and user
preferences to create efficient and conflict-free timetables. Advancement of computer
science and artificial intelligence has played a key role in the development of course
scheduling solutions. Decision Support Support Systems(DSS) have been designed to
automate the process and optimize the allocation of resources, time-slots and
instructors. A University course time-slot generator using a decision support system is
a software application that helps Universities to schedule course time-slots for their
courses. The systems takes into account various factors such as course availability,
student enrolment, faculty availability and other scheduling constraints. By
automating the scheduling process, universities can save time and resources, and
reduce the likelihood of scheduling conflicts.
By adopting a University Course Time-slot Generator, Universities can
streamline the scheduling process, reduce manual errors and optimize resource
utilization. This not only benefits the system administrators by saving time and effort
but also improves the overall students’ and instructors’ experience as they can access
well-organized and conflict-free timetables that align with their preferences and
requirements.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Manual generation of university course timetables is a complex and time-consuming

process that is prone to inefficiencies and limitations.This approach often leads to:

Conflicts and clashes: Where more than one lecturer prefers one single time-slot and
it becomes difficult for the timetable scheduler to solve hence resulting in schedule
clashes and dissatisfaction.
Inefficient resource allocation: which is caused by under utilization of available
classrooms and lecturers time,which leads to missed opportunities for optimization.
Lack of flexibility and adaptability: Inability to quickly adjust schedules for
unforeseen changes like instructor illness, room unavailability, or course
additions/cancellations.
Human error and bias: Manual scheduling is prone to errors and may not always
prioritize fairness and equity in allocating resources.
Our project aims to develop a University Course Time-Slot Generator System
to address these challenges and improve the overall scheduling experience for
universities, lecturers, and students by:
 Automating the generation of feasible and conflict-free timetables using
algorithms and optimization techniques to generate numerous potential schedules
after considering various constraints and preferences.
 Enhancing efficient resource allocation by optimizing the lecturers time through
finding the best possible combinations and minimizing clashes.
 Incorporating flexibility and adaptability which enables easy adjustments to
schedules in response to changes and unexpected circumstances.
 Minimizing human error and bias through implementation of algorithms that
prioritize fairness and objectivity in resource allocation.
 Increase user satisfaction: Provide a user-friendly interface for lecturers to access
and interact with the generated timetables.
By achieving these objectives, this project aims to significantly improve the
efficiency, effectiveness, and fairness of university course scheduling.
1.3 OBJECTIVES

1.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To develop a system that can efficiently allocate course time-slots by reducing
the arise of conflicts during the timetable scheduling exercise .

1.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

1. Automate the generation of feasible and conflict-free timetables

2. Ensure efficient resource allocation.

3. Minimize human error and bias.

4. Increase user satisfaction.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the challenges of the existing University Course Time-slot Generator
systems.

2. How well can be the system designed to address the challenges that do exist
within the other existing grading and marking systems.

3. What will be the attitude of users towards this system.

4. What are the functional requirements of the University Course Time-slot

Generator system.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Our project aims to solve the drawbacks gaps of manual allocation of course time-
slots for timetable generation in higher education institutions such as Universities.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The findings of this study will reveal the compelling urge to develop a University
Course Time-slot Generator system in higher education institutions in order to
increase the accuracy and efficiency during allocation of course time-slots for
timetable generation in these institutions. In this, study we will review previous
studies that have been carried out on the same topic. This will help us to identify and
track any progress that has been made trying to solve the drawbacks associated with
application of a manual allocation of course time-slots, identify any gaps that exist
within the previous studies and come up with a solution to close the identified gaps. A
University Course Time-slot Generator system will increase efficiency, accuracy,
reduce conflicts and reduce the course time-slot allocation workload. The system will
all increase the speed of course time-slot allocation exercise hence reducing the time
wastage.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The system does not enhance balanced workload; we have implemented a system
whose functionality dictates that, a lecturer can be allocated a time-slot based on the
lecturer’s preference provided that no conflicts emerges which means that a lecturer
can have as many time-slots as she or he wants. This is a limitation to an institution
that has policies to balance the lecturers’ workload, for example, a policy that says; a
lecturer can only have a maximum of three lectures in a single day. Such a policy can
be violated because in our system a lecturer can be allocated more than three time-
slots provided no conflict arises.