Timetabling and Scheduling
Background
The customer has over ten years experience in delivering GCSE, AS and A2 distance learning solutions to schools and colleges. They offer a range of subjects delivered into schools using video conferencing technology, highly interactive distance learning course materials, expert tutoring by subject specialists, and results that are as good as or even better than those attained by conventional methods.
Currently the company delivers courses to over 200 schools and 3500 students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and became international in September 2004.
Tutors employed by the organisation on a full or part-time basis, provide one or more sessions (usually in a single subject at AS and A2 level) to a number of schools. The simple objective of the timetable is to meet all the schools' teaching requirements (and where possible their tutor and internal timetabling preferences), from a limited number of tutors.
In the past, timetabling has been a manual task, with no system support. Efficiency has been difficult to assess, and changes relatively difficult to accomplish. Alterations to tutor or school timetables have necessitated the editing of associated paperwork, and it has become clear that this can no longer realistically be done by hand.
Major Objectives
Ideally all schools will get their preferred tutors and session times (where such preferences are expressed), and each tutor will be suitably employed with regard to the hours in their contract, times when they are unavailable, maximum sessions 'in a row', etc. Further, where possible each tutor's schools will be within a relatively small geographical area to facilitate economic site visiting.
Maximising tutor usage (within the terms of their contract) has an obvious direct relationship with business profitability in the short term. Meeting customer requirements is essential to viability in the longer term. Minor cost savings (or otherwise) are associated with the geographical distribution of schools in relation to their allocated tutors.
Critical Areas
The system uses a set of relatively simple rules to computerise the bulk of the timetabling task.
There are maintenance screens for schools, subjects and tutors, and a simple input screen for school preferences.
Timetabling is scheduled to provide best fit from priorities relating to date of registration, preferred tutor, geographical proximity, etc.
There is support for varying session length and frequency (sessions per week).
Timetabling can be displayed on screen, with listings available by school, tutor, subject, etc., and timetables for all tutors in a subject area can be displayed at once.
There is a simple enquiry screen to help resolve unallocated preferences, and late changes to requirements.
The enquiry screen supports efficient communication with schools, with immediate answers to queries raised on the phone, and instant updating of the live timetable.
A simple GIS can display the geographical distribution of schools and tutors, and allow the user to identify tutors that are within a reasonable travelling distance, etc.
It is possible to automatically produce tutor and school timetables (Printed, and as Microsoft Word documents)
System Integration
It was possible to load school, subject and tutor information from existing spreadsheets.
Further Development
A number of items have been suggested for possible future development:
Generation of Sales Revenue estimates
Full school and tutor contact information
System integration (payroll, accounts and CRM)
Web/Email enquiry/notification system
Full details and tracking of hardware provision
Statistical analysis of subject provision