SchedulExpert: Scheduling Courses in the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration

Abstract

A major curriculum review in the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University revealed that course scheduling was a major problem for the school. We devised a methodology to improve the system and developed a computer program, SchedulExpert, to automate the scheduling process. By using the program, we have eliminated conflicts among core required courses by year and among electives within areas and minimized conflicts among elective sets specified by faculty members. We used to spend weeks on scheduling, but now we achieve better results in only a few hours.