Managing the class or examination timetable for higher institutions of learning without venue or time conflicts is a very daunting task. Many a time, two or more different classes find themselves in the same venue and this causes confusion and wastage of time.

A Strathmore University student, Kathembo Tsongo Dieudonné, has the solution to such conflicts.  The Master of Science in Information Technology (MSc.IT) student has developed an innovative Smart Timetable Management System that eliminates common scheduling frustrations, such as overlapping classes, double-booked rooms, and last-minute exam changes.

The innovative system was showcased during Strathmore University’s Brown Bag Research and Innovation seminar, organised by the Research and Innovation Department. The system is set not only to solve the timetabling challenges at Strathmore University but can also be replicated by other higher education institutions countrywide and across the world.

The automated system reduces the burdens and errors of solving timetabling problems using the manual system, which is a Non-deterministic Polynomial-time hard problem. The number of possible combinations is so large that it is almost impossible to produce a perfect timetable quickly using trial and error.

Kathembo has designed a system that reduces this burden and enables administrators to avoid conflicts, ensuring the smooth running of academic schedules. His system uses a rule-based conflict detection algorithm that employs digital checklists.

It automatically scans the timetable to eliminate violations of key rules, including ensuring that a student does not have two exams at the same time, that a lecturer is not scheduled to invigilate more than one exam simultaneously, that a venue is not double-booked, and that a selected room has enough capacity for the students registered.

“The system also detects if a unit appears more than once at the same time on the same day. If any conflict is detected, it is flagged immediately before the timetable is released,” Kathembo said during the Brown Bag presentation.

Besides conflict detection, Kathembo’s innovation also introduces personalized access. Instead of going through lengthy PDF timetables, each student and lecturer views only what is relevant to them.

When changes occur, such as venue adjustment, the system only sends notifications to the affected individuals. This targeted communication reduces confusion and cuts down on the many emails that often overwhelm recipients.

“The system also includes automatic exam reminders, 24 hours before each paper, to prepare the students adequately,” Kathembo observed.

As he develops this innovation further, Kathembo is preparing to turn his work into a formal research paper for publication in reputable academic journals. His endeavours are a clear testimony of how student innovation can benefit the entire academic community.

Article written by Otuma Ongalo