A rule-based expert system approach to class scheduling

Abstract Class scheduling is the unenviable task in which a team of scheduling experts must assign faculty members their requested courses based on the university and departmental guidelines. The complexity of this task is compounded by introducing the various necessary faculty and course parameters. Although there have been recent attempts to create the class scheduling process via conventional programming, this form of software is poorly suited to emulate the essential human decision-making process. However, a rule-based expert system approach can provide the practical solution. This paper is concerned with originating the formulation and implementation necessary to achieve an optimal class scheduling solution.