Cost Implications for an In-House University Timetabling System

This paper reports on a study on the examination timetabling problem faced in universities, focusing on the problem as it exists at the University of Botswana (UB). Examination timetabling is well researched and many different algorithms have been used in an attempt to produce timetable solutions that meet various objectives of institutions as well as theoretical objectives. Our research tries to produce an optimal examination timetable, which takes into consideration constraints imposed by users of timetables in UB as well as best-practice constraints found in the literature. Most African universities have financial constraints that make cost-effective solutions that take advantage of readily available research results and frameworks critical to their survival and strategic goals. In our paper, we analyse the cost implications of in-house development of an examination scheduling system solution that will produce improved schedules and reduce costs. We take into account the cost of software tools and frameworks we have employed as well as the cost of getting data and actual software engineering of a timetabling solution. Our results suggest that the benefits of this approach are great, since the cost is low while the quality of resulting timetables is good.