Enhancing Timetable Scheduling Efficiency with a Firefly Algorithm-Based Automated System: A Case Study of Landmark University

A timetable is an organized structure that allocates people and resources, such as classrooms, into time objects for specific events. The manual methodology of creating a timetable is a tedious and complex task that is subject to human error. These errors lead to backtracking, which could restrict the administrators from attaining the optimal solution. The objectives of this work are to design a web-based scheduling interface that generates timetables and to implement a web-based scheduling interface that generates timetables utilizing an evolutionary algorithm using front-end and back-end technologies. This study is limited to implementing a scheduling system that tries to automatically cater for each restriction involved in generating timetables. The timetables are created automatically using a firefly algorithm. The Automated Timetable System was tested in the academic setting of Landmark University, and the results were compelling in terms of time savings, increased overall efficiency, decreased scheduling efforts, improved resource utilization, and increased satisfaction for the timetable administrator. The system was capable of generating timetables using the available data stored in the database. In conclusion, the integrated automated timetable scheduling system proved to be a beneficial tool for educational institutions, improving schedule quality, decreasing effort, and maximizing resource usage. Utilizing the Firefly Algorithm allows for efficient exploration of the problem space and delays convergence to almost ideal solutions.