Course Scheduling to Minimize Disparities with Lecturer Time Availability by Considering Lecturer Meetings and Team Teaching Using Integer Linear Programming

The complexity associated with course scheduling problems is contingent upon specific contextual factors. The present study entails a case analysis of course scheduling within the Industrial Engineering department of a private institution located in Indonesia. The availability of lecturers' time is used as input in the scheduling process, and the resulting timetable aims to minimize discrepancies from this availability. The main contribution of this research is to elaborate team teaching, research group meetings, and department meetings onto the mathematical model. Multiple lecturers' involvement in a course or subject affects the mathematical programming model. The utilization of integer linear programming in conjunction with the use of CPLEX software can achieve an optimal schedule within a reasonable timeframe. The timetables are validated by considering the existing hard constraints. In addition, discrepancies in the availability of lecturers' time are compared with the provided input data. The scheduling outcomes yield minimal deviations or penalties, promoting efficiency in management efforts, which will be subject to negotiation with the implicated lecturers. In addition, this study contributes to knowledge regarding course scheduling problems using mathematical programming techniques, specifically about multiple lecturers in a course or subject.