Improving Class Timetabling using Genetic Algorithm

Timetables are used to schedule classes and teachers in school. It involved assigning times and places to appropriate events by making use of available resource. Badly designed timetables are not just inconvenient but proved expensive in terms of wasting time and money. Hence, the major aim of this research is to investigate the
internal mechanism of genetic algorithm in solving and improving class timetabling problem. We have targeted the research on class timetabling problem. Hence, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used as one of the most popular optimization solutions. It has been implemented in various applications such as scheduling. The flows of GA are using selection, crossover and mutation operators applied to populations of chromosomes. This paper reports the power fill techniques using GA in scheduling. Class timetabling problem is one of the applications in scheduling. In one aspect, it deals with subjects such that it fulfills the process time slot. These aspects are important for the class timetabling so it can be done in a smooth way and no lecture can sit more than one classroom in a same time slot. The other constraint is the lecture workload should be arranged less than two classes in one day. The class
timetabling problem at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sintok is introduced and the prototype has been developed using Java language. The prototype suggested several feasible solutions to the user.