Interactive faculty scheduling

Administration of higher education, along with other administrative environments, have become increasingly complex. This research addresses one of the tasks concerning academic administration, that of establishment of a faculty schedule. Faculty course preferences in assigning faculty members to courses and faculty time preferences in allocating time periods are the issues considered. Several related studies have been extensively surveyed. A two stage allocation model is developed for performing first the course assignment and then assigning faculty/course pairs to time slots. A heuristic assignment system using interactive scheduling has been developed for the time allocation. The model uses a logical approach to the assignment problem. The model is tested with the data applicable to a department in a university, and the results are reported. Possible directions for future research are suggested.