An Integer Programming Approach to Solve One Semester’s Lectures Timetabling Problem with a Case Study for the Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University

The lecture timetable assignment has been important and one of the major challenging administrative tasks in academic institutions in recent years. This is due to several factors, including the growing number of students, the variety of lectures, and the lack of suitable classrooms. This paper aims to solve an existing lecture scheduling problem in which daily assignments of events (lectures, faculty members, and student groups) to classrooms and periods are considered. The proposed method implements a two-stage method using multi-objective integer programming. The first stage involves student-group and practical-section assignments. The final stage involves lectures and timetabling assignments. The output results gave a full-semester timetable daily for first-year students in the college of medicine, while minimizing the cost of an empty seat and a room assignment according to a preference score for a lecture under the college’s regulations. Selected scenarios for the growing number of enrolled students were discussed and evaluated.