MUST - Time Tabling System

Development of the MUST Timetabling System (MUST-TS) used by Academic Registrar

department uses for timetabling (2015-todate)

Challenge: The Academic registrar department was finding it hard to generate timetables for the entire university. Sharing space among the many university students, finding flexible teaching times for all courses and lecturers, scheduling examinations was a tedious process that could sometimes take months to generate a timetable without conflicts

Solution:

The SIIU designed and developed the University Timetabling system. The system was launched in August 2015 and has been in use at the university since.

MUST-TS is a comprehensive educational scheduling system that supports developing course and exam timetables, managing changes to these timetables, sharing rooms with other events, and scheduling students to individual classes.

The MUST-TS uses a constraint algorithm that can generate complex timetables in maximum 5 minutes. 

The system allows multiple university and departmental schedule managers to coordinate efforts to build and modify a schedule that meets their diverse university needs while allowing for minimization of student course conflicts. The system is managed by the Academic Registrar department. 

Timetables can be accessed by the entire university at https://timetable.must.ac.ug/

Components:

  • Course timetabling and management
  • Examination timetabling
  • Lecturer scheduling
  • Room allocation

Benefits:

  • Lots of hours saved by timetable coordinators: The system has ensured that timetables for both courses and exams are developed in 1 seating in a maximum of 1 week compared to the previously when it would take a minimum of 10 sittings, 1 month.   
  • No conflicts: Previously, courses, events, etc. could conflict, clash when scheduled in the same room at the same time. This would be embarrassing and frustrating. The system has eliminated any possible conflicts.
  • Space optimization:  Rooms and space are now shared optimally across the university. 
  • Flexibility for lecturers: Lecturers can share their preferred times for teaching and their preferences may be put in consideration to allow them to balance their other workload better.