DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SYSTEM FOR EXAM TIMETABLING IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS
Creating timetables in higher education institutions can be a daunting task that often gets overlooked in the automation of administrative activities due to its complexity. However, a computer-assisted timetable generator can save time for administrators who manage course schedules. Software programs available on the market may not meet the unique needs of every organization. As a result, a more realistic approach to building a timetabling program is necessary, one that can be tailored to fit any higher education timetabling problem. The Tabu Search algorithm for scheduling was adapted for this use case, and experiments show that it provides commendable performance gains on real-world datasets. The dataset used in this project was a subset of the 2020/2021 second semester timetable at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, which made it a realistic and substantial problem. The Tabu Search algorithm was able to generate a feasible solution that met all constraints within five minutes on a standard laptop computer, demonstrating its speed and efficiency in handling large and complex examination timetabling problems. The Tabu Search algorithm employed in this project iterated over multiple solutions during execution, and even though it had six soft constraint violations, it was still able to provide a more optimal solution in a much shorter time of 16.1seconds compared to the two weeks of manual effort required by the human-generated solution. This ultimately proves that the Tabu Search algorithm is a valuable tool for optimizing examination timetabling. Furthermore, the relatively short execution time of the system makes it easily integrable into a more extensive examination timetabling system that requires fast and efficient solutions. In conclusion, the Tabu Search algorithm shows great potential for finally solving the examination timetable scheduling problem, and its flexibility, adaptability, and speed make it a valuable tool for administrators managing course schedules.
Exam Timetabling; Tabu Search algorithm; adaptability; flexibility; experiments