Academic Schedular

Project Overview
The Academic Scheduler will manage timetables for an educational institution,
ensuring no overlaps (conflicts) in class schedules, teacher availability, or room
bookings. It will allow administrators to input data, generate schedules, and produce
reports while offering a user-friendly experience.

Four Components
• Course Management
Purpose: Handle all course-related data (e.g., course name, code, duration,
credits).
Features: Add new courses, assign prerequisites, and link them to teachers or
departments.
Create: Add a new course (e.g., "CS101: Intro to Programming").
Read: View all courses or filter by department/semester.
Update: Modify course details (e.g., change duration from 1 hr to 1.5 hrs).
Delete: Remove a course if it’s no longer offered.
Student Class Schedule Report
Description: Shows a student’s timetable based on enrolled courses, with times
and locations.
Use: Allows students to see their full schedule in one place.

Component-Wise Flow

1. Course Management

• Purpose: Manage course details as the foundation for scheduling.

• Flow:

Create: Admin adds a course (e.g., "CS101: Intro to Programming, 1 hr, 3

times/week").

Data stored: Course ID, name, duration, frequency, department.

Read: Admin views all courses or filters (e.g., "Show all Computer
Science courses").

Output: List or table of courses.

Update: Admin edits a course (e.g., changes duration to 1.5 hrs).

Updates database and notifies Timetable Generator if already scheduled.

Delete: Admin removes a course no longer offered.

 Removes course from database and updates any linked schedules.

• Next Step: Course data feeds into Teacher Management (to assign instructors)
and Timetable Generator

• Teacher Management
Purpose: Manage teacher profiles, availability, and subject expertise.
Features: Track teacher schedules, preferences (e.g., no morning classes), and
workload limits.
Create: Register a new teacher with name, ID, and availability.
Read: Display a teacher’s profile or weekly schedule.
Update: Edit availability (e.g., teacher unavailable on Fridays).
Delete: Remove a teacher from the system (e.g., retirement).
Teacher Schedule Report
Description: Displays a teacher’s weekly schedule, highlighting assigned courses,
times, and rooms.
Use: Helps teachers plan their week and spot conflicts.

Component-Wise Flow

2. Teacher Management

• Purpose: Manage teacher profiles and availability to ensure they’re assigned

appropriately.
• Flow:

Create: Admin adds a teacher (e.g., "Jane Doe, ID: T001, available Mon-
Fri 9-12").

Data stored: Teacher ID, name, availability, subject expertise.

Read: Admin views a teacher’s profile or schedule.

Output: Availability grid or list of assigned courses.

Update: Admin adjusts availability (e.g., "Jane unavailable on

Wednesdays").

Updates database and flags Timetable Generator to recheck conflicts.

Delete: Admin removes a teacher (e.g., retired).

Removes teacher and reassigns their courses via Timetable Generator.

• Next Step: Teacher availability and expertise link to Course Management (for
assignment) and Timetable Generator.
 • Classroom/Resource Management
Purpose: Manage physical resources like classrooms, labs, or equipment.
Features: Define capacity, availability, and special requirements (e.g., projector, lab
tools).
Create: Add a new classroom (e.g., "Room A-101, Capacity: 30").
Read: List all rooms or check availability for a specific time.
Update: Change room details (e.g., add a projector).
Delete: Remove a room if it’s no longer usable.
Room Utilization Report
Description: Summarizes how often each room is used and identifies peak usage
times.
Use: Helps administrators optimize resource allocation.

Component-Wise Flow

3. Classroom/Resource Management

• Purpose: Manage rooms and resources to allocate them to courses without

conflicts.
• Flow:

Create: Admin adds a room (e.g., "Room A-101, capacity 30, has
projector").

Data stored: Room ID, capacity, availability, features.

Read: Admin views all rooms or checks availability (e.g., "Free rooms at
10 AM").

Output: List or availability grid.

Update: Admin modifies a room (e.g., "Add whiteboard to A-101").

Updates database and checks existing bookings.

Delete: Admin removes a room (e.g., under renovation).

Removes room and reassigns affected classes via Timetable Generator.

• Next Step: Room availability feeds into Timetable Generator for scheduling.

• Timetable Generator
Purpose: Core engine that creates conflict-free schedules based on input data.
Features: Assign courses to teachers, rooms, and time slots while avoiding
overlaps.
Create: Generate a new timetable for a semester or week.
Read: View the generated timetable for a class, teacher, or room.
Update: Adjust a timetable (e.g., shift a class to another slot).
Delete: Discard an outdated or incorrect timetable.
Conflict Detection Report
Description: Lists any potential scheduling conflicts (e.g., a teacher assigned to two
classes at once).
Use: Ensures the timetable is error-free before finalizing

Automatic Timetable Generation

The core idea is to let the system create a conflict-free timetable based on predefined
rules and data from the other components (courses, teachers, classrooms). Here’s
how it works:

How It’s Done

1. Inputs: Gather data from the system:

o Courses: List of courses with duration, frequency (e.g., 3 times/week),
and assigned teacher.
o Teachers: Availability (e.g., free Monday 9-11 AM) and expertise.
o Classrooms: Availability, capacity, and special features (e.g., lab
equipment).
o Constraints: Rules like no overlapping classes for a teacher, student
group, or room.

2. Algorithm: Use a scheduling algorithm to assign courses to time slots, teachers,

and rooms:
o Simple Approach: Greedy algorithm – assign classes one by one,
checking availability.
o Advanced Approach: Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) solver or
backtracking algorithm:
§ Define variables: time slots, rooms, teachers.
§ Define constraints: no teacher double-booking, room capacity
matches class size.
§ Solve: Find a valid combination that satisfies all constraints.
o Example: If "CS101" needs 1 hour, the system checks Teacher A’s
availability (e.g., 10 AM), finds Room B free at 10 AM, and assigns it.

3. Conflict Checking: Before finalizing:

o Ensure no teacher is scheduled for two classes at the same time.
o Confirm no room is double-booked.
o Verify student groups (if tracked) aren’t split across conflicting classes.
 4. Output: A complete timetable (e.g., a weekly grid) showing courses, times,
teachers, and rooms.

Tools & Implementation

• Programming: Python (with libraries like PuLP or constraint), Java, or JavaScript.

• Logic: Store time slots as a grid (e.g., Monday 9-10 AM, 10-11 AM) and match
resources to slots.
• Database: Query available teachers/rooms for each slot dynamically.

Example Workflow

• Input: "CS101, 1 hr, Teacher A, 30 students, needs projector."

• Process: System finds Teacher A free at 9 AM, Room C (capacity 35, has
projector) free at 9 AM, assigns it.
• Result: "CS101: Monday 9-10 AM, Room C, Teacher A."

Manual Timetable Adjustments

While automation is powerful, users might want control to tweak the output or handle
exceptions. Here’s how manual generation or adjustments fit in:

How It’s Done

1. Manual Creation:
o Provide a drag-and-drop interface (e.g., a calendar grid).
o Admin selects a course, picks a time slot, assigns a teacher and room,
and saves.
o System still checks for conflicts in real-time (e.g., "Room already booked
at 10 AM").

2. Post-Auto Adjustments:
o After automatic generation, allow admins to:
§ Move a class to a different slot.
§ Swap teachers or rooms.
§ Cancel a class and reassign it.
o Each change triggers a conflict check to maintain integrity.

Implementation

• UI: Use a library like FullCalendar (JavaScript) for an interactive grid.

• Validation: Real-time alerts if a manual change causes a conflict (e.g., "Teacher
B is unavailable at 11 AM").
 • Database: Update the timetable table after each manual edit.

Example Workflow

• Auto-generated: "CS101: Monday 9 AM, Room C."

• Manual tweak: Admin moves it to 11 AM, system confirms Room C and Teacher
A are free, updates the schedule.

Benefits

• Flexibility for special cases (e.g., guest lectures, last-minute cancellations).

• Empowers admins to override automation when needed.

Component-Wise Flow

4. Timetable Generator

• Purpose: Core component that combines data to create a conflict-free

timetable.
• Flow:
1. Create: Admin triggers timetable generation for a semester/week.

Inputs: Courses (from Course Management), teacher availability (from

Teacher Management), room availability (from Classroom Management).

Process:

Algorithm assigns each course a time slot, teacher, and room.

Checks constraints: No teacher/room overlaps, matches room

capacity/features.

Output: Draft timetable (e.g., "CS101: Mon 9-10 AM, Room A-101, Jane
Doe").

2. Read: Admin views the generated timetable.

§ Output: Weekly grid or list by course/teacher/room.

Update: Admin adjusts the timetable (manual or auto):

§ Manual: Drag CS101 to 11 AM, system checks conflicts.

§ Auto: Trigger re-generation with new constraints (e.g., updated
teacher availability).

Delete: Admin discards an old timetable.

§ Clears schedule and starts fresh if needed.

 • Special Feature Integration: Automated Conflict Resolution with Suggestions:
o If a conflict arises (e.g., Jane Doe booked at 9 AM elsewhere):
§ System suggests: "Move CS101 to 10 AM" or "Assign Teacher B."
§ Admin accepts or modifies the suggestion.

• Next Step: Timetable data feeds into report generation.

Report Generation Flow

• Purpose: Provide insights and validate the timetable.

• Flow:
1. Teacher Schedule Report:
§ Input: Timetable data for a specific teacher.
§ Process: Extract all assigned slots (e.g., "Jane Doe: Mon 9-10 AM,
CS101").
§ Output: Printable schedule or PDF.
2. Student Class Schedule Report:
§ Input: Student’s enrolled courses + timetable.
§ Process: Compile slots for a student (e.g., "John: Mon 9-10 AM,
CS101").
§ Output: Student-friendly timetable.
3. Room Utilization Report:
§ Input: Timetable + room data.
§ Process: Calculate usage (e.g., "A-101: 80% occupied Mon-Fri").
§ Output: Stats or graph for resource planning.
4. Conflict Detection Report:
§ Input: Timetable data.
§ Process: Scan for overlaps (e.g., "Jane Doe double-booked at 9
AM").
§ Output: List of conflicts (if any) or "All clear."

One Special Feature

Automated Conflict Resolution with Suggestions

Description: When a conflict is detected (e.g., a teacher double-booked or a room

unavailable), the system doesn’t just flag it—it suggests solutions. For example:
Swap time slots with another class.
Assign an available teacher with similar expertise.
Recommend an unused room at the same time.
How It Works: The timetable generator uses a rule-based algorithm (e.g., prioritizing
teacher availability, then room capacity) to propose fixes, which the user can accept or
tweak.
 Benefit: Saves time for administrators and ensures a polished, conflict-free schedule.

Development Ideas & Tips

Tech Stack Suggestion

Frontend: React or Angular for a dynamic interface.
Backend: Node.js with Express or Django for handling logic and database
operations.
Database: MySQL or MongoDB to store courses, teachers, rooms, and schedules.
Algorithm: Use a constraint satisfaction algorithm (e.g., backtracking) for the
timetable generator.

Full System Flow

1. Start: Admin enters data:

o Courses via Course Management.
o Teachers via Teacher Management.
o Rooms via Classroom/Resource Management.
2. Generate: Timetable Generator pulls data and creates a draft schedule.
o Checks for conflicts during generation.
o If conflicts occur, special feature suggests fixes (e.g., "Shift class to 10
AM").
3. Refine: Admin reviews the timetable:
o Makes manual adjustments if needed (e.g., swaps rooms).
o System validates each change, offers suggestions if conflicts arise.
4. Finalize: Admin approves the timetable.
5. Report: System generates reports:
o Teachers get their schedules.
o Students see their classes.
o Rooms are analyzed for usage.
o Conflicts are confirmed resolved.
6. Repeat: Updates (e.g., new course added) trigger re-generation or adjustments.

Visual Flow Example (Simplified)

[Course Management] → [Teacher Management] → [Classroom Management]

↓ ↓ ↓

[Timetable Generator] ← Conflict Resolution Suggestions

[Timetable Output]

[Reports: Teacher, Student, Room, Conflict]

Actors in the System

Actors are typically derived from a use case perspective, representing users or external
systems that interact with your project. For your Academic Scheduler, here are the
primary actors:

1. Administrator

• Role: The primary user responsible for managing the system and ensuring a
conflict-free timetable.
• Interactions:
o Course Management: Adds, updates, views, or deletes courses (e.g.,
"Add CS101").
o Teacher Management: Registers teachers, updates availability, or
removes them (e.g., "Jane Doe unavailable on Fridays").
o Classroom/Resource Management: Manages rooms and resources
(e.g., "Add Room A-101 with projector").
o Timetable Generator: Triggers automatic timetable generation, makes
manual adjustments, and resolves conflicts using suggestions (e.g.,
"Shift CS101 to 10 AM").
o Reports: Generates and reviews reports (e.g., "View Teacher Schedule
Report for Jane Doe").
• Key Tasks: Inputs foundational data, oversees scheduling, and finalizes the
timetable.

2. Teacher

• Role: A secondary user who interacts with the system to view their schedule and
provide availability.
• Interactions:
o Teacher Management: Provides or updates their availability (e.g., "I’m
free Mon-Wed 9-12").
o Reports: Views their own schedule via the Teacher Schedule Report (e.g.,
"My classes this week").

• Key Tasks: Ensures their availability is accurate; uses the schedule to plan
teaching.

3. Student

• Role: An end-user who benefits from the timetable but doesn’t directly manage
it.
 • Interactions:
o Reports: Views their class schedule via the Student Class Schedule
Report (e.g., "My classes: Mon 9 AM CS101").
• Key Tasks: Uses the timetable to attend classes; no direct system management.

4. System (Timetable Generator)

• Role: An internal actor (not a human) that automates scheduling and conflict
resolution.
• Interactions:
o Timetable Generator: Pulls data from Course, Teacher, and Classroom
Management to create a timetable.
o Special Feature: Detects conflicts and suggests resolutions (e.g., "Move
CS101 to avoid overlap").
o Reports: Provides data for conflict detection and utilization reports.
• Key Tasks: Handles automation, ensuring the timetable is conflict-free and
efficient.

Actor-System Interaction Flow

Here’s how these actors interact with the components in a cohesive flow:

1. Administrator:
o Inputs data into Course Management (e.g., "CS101, 1 hr").
o Adds teachers in Teacher Management (e.g., "Jane Doe, available 9-12").
o Registers rooms in Classroom/Resource Management (e.g., "A-101,
capacity 30").
o Triggers the Timetable Generator to create a schedule.
o Reviews the output, adjusts manually if needed (e.g., "Move CS101 to 11
AM").
o Uses the special feature to resolve conflicts (e.g., accepts suggestion
"Assign Room B").
o Generates all four reports to finalize and distribute the timetable.

2. Teacher:
o Updates their availability through Teacher Management (optional, if given
access).
o Requests and views their Teacher Schedule Report from the
Administrator or a self-service portal.
o Uses the schedule to prepare for classes.
3. Student:
o Receives their Student Class Schedule Report from the Administrator
(e.g., via email or portal).
o Follows the timetable to attend classes.
 4. System (Timetable Generator):
o Automatically processes data from all components to generate a draft
timetable.
o Detects conflicts (e.g., "Jane Doe double-booked") and suggests fixes.
o Supplies data for reports like Room Utilization and Conflict Detection.

Use Case Diagram (Textual Representation)

To visualize the actors and their interactions:

Actors:
- Administrator

- Teacher

- Student

- System (Timetable Generator)

Use Cases:

- Manage Courses (Admin → Course Management)

- Manage Teachers (Admin, Teacher → Teacher Management)

- Manage Classrooms (Admin → Classroom/Resource Management)

- Generate Timetable (Admin, System → Timetable Generator)

- Resolve Conflicts (Admin, System → Special Feature)

- View Teacher Schedule (Admin, Teacher → Reports)

- View Student Schedule (Admin, Student → Reports)

- Analyze Room Usage (Admin → Reports)

- Check Conflicts (Admin, System → Reports)

Evaluation of Your Tech Stack

1. Backend: Spring Boot

• Why It’s a Good Choice:

o Java Ecosystem: Spring Boot is built on Java, which is robust, scalable,
and great for enterprise-level applications like an academic scheduler.
 o RESTful APIs: It excels at creating REST APIs, which will allow React to
communicate with the backend seamlessly (e.g., fetching timetables,
saving courses).
o Built-in Features: Comes with Spring Data JPA for easy database
integration with MySQL, dependency injection, and scheduling tools—
perfect for your Timetable Generator.
o Conflict Resolution: You can implement the special feature (Automated
Conflict Resolution) as a service layer in Spring Boot, leveraging
algorithms and business logic.
o Community & Support: Huge community, tons of tutorials, and libraries
to speed up development.

• How It Fits:
o Handles CRUD for Course, Teacher, and Classroom Management via
controllers.
o Runs the Timetable Generator as a service with scheduling logic.
o Generates report data (e.g., teacher schedules) via queries and returns it
to the frontend.
• Potential Challenges:
o Steeper learning curve if you’re new to Spring Boot (e.g., understanding
annotations like @Entity, @RestController).
o Overhead for small projects, though your system’s complexity justifies it.
• Idea: Use Spring Boot’s scheduling module (e.g., @Scheduled) to periodically
check for conflicts or regenerate timetables if data changes.

2. Frontend: React

• Why It’s a Good Choice:

o Dynamic UI: React’s component-based architecture is ideal for building
an interactive dashboard with sections for Course Management, Teacher
Management, etc.
o Real-Time Updates: Perfect for displaying timetables (e.g., a calendar
grid) and updating them dynamically when the admin adjusts slots.
o State Management: Libraries like Redux or Context API can manage
complex states (e.g., timetable data, conflict suggestions).
o Reusable Components: You can create reusable UI elements (e.g., a
“Time Slot” component) for the timetable and reports.
o Ecosystem: Integrates well with libraries like FullCalendar or Material-UI
for a polished look.
• How It Fits:
o Displays CRUD interfaces (e.g., forms for adding courses, tables for
viewing teachers).
o Renders the timetable as a grid and allows drag-and-drop for manual
edits.
 o Shows report outputs (e.g., Teacher Schedule) with filters and export
options.
o Handles the special feature by displaying conflict resolution suggestions
as pop-ups or alerts.

• Potential Challenges:
o Requires API integration knowledge (e.g., using fetch or axios to call
Spring Boot endpoints).
o Managing state for large timetables could get tricky without proper
planning.
• Idea: Use a library like FullCalendar for the Timetable Generator UI—it supports
drag-and-drop and integrates easily with React, saving you time.

3. Database: MySQL

• Why It’s a Good Choice:

o Relational Structure: MySQL’s tables and relationships (e.g., Courses →
Teachers → Rooms) match your project’s data model perfectly.
o Performance: Handles queries efficiently for report generation (e.g.,
“SELECT * FROM timetable WHERE teacher_id = X”).
o Compatibility: Works seamlessly with Spring Boot via Spring Data JPA
and Hibernate, reducing setup time.
o Scalability: Can manage a growing dataset (e.g., hundreds of courses,
teachers, rooms) for larger institutions.
o Free & Open-Source: No licensing costs, great for a student/academic
project.

• How It Fits:
o Stores data for all components
(e.g., courses, teachers, rooms, timetable tables).
o Supports complex joins for the Timetable Generator (e.g., finding free
rooms and teachers for a time slot).
o Provides data for reports via SQL queries.
• Potential Challenges:
o Designing the schema requires planning (e.g., foreign keys, indexes for
performance).
o Conflict detection might need complex queries or logic better handled in
the backend.
• Idea: Add a conflict_log table to store detected conflicts and resolutions,
making the special feature more traceable and auditable.
How They Work Together

Here’s a high-level flow of how your tech stack integrates:

1. MySQL: Stores all data (courses, teachers, rooms, timetables).

2. Spring Boot:
o Exposes REST APIs (e.g., /api/courses, /api/timetable/generate).
o Manages business logic (e.g., timetable generation, conflict resolution).
o Queries MySQL via Spring Data JPA (e.g., courseRepository.findAll()).
3. React:
o Calls Spring Boot APIs to fetch or update data (e.g., GET /api/timetable).
o Renders the UI dynamically (e.g., timetable grid, report tables).
o Sends user inputs back to Spring Boot (e.g., POST /api/courses to add a
course).

Example Interaction:

• Admin clicks “Generate Timetable” in React → React sends a request

to /api/timetable/generate → Spring Boot runs the algorithm, queries MySQL,
saves the result, and returns it → React displays the timetable.

Strengths of Your Choice

• Scalability: This stack can grow from a small prototype to a full-fledged system
used by a university.
• Separation of Concerns: Backend (Spring Boot) handles logic, frontend (React)
focuses on UI, and MySQL manages data—clean architecture.
• Industry Relevance: These technologies are in high demand, so building this
project boosts your skills for real-world jobs.
• Tooling: Great support for testing (e.g., JUnit for Spring Boot, Jest for React) and
deployment (e.g., Docker).

Potential Improvements or Considerations

1. Authentication: Add Spring Security to restrict access (e.g., only admins

manage data, teachers/students view reports).
o Idea: Use JWT tokens for secure API calls between React and Spring Boot.
2. Performance: For large timetables, optimize MySQL with indexes (e.g.,
on time_slot or teacher_id) and cache frequent queries in Spring Boot (e.g., using
Redis).
3. Conflict Resolution: Implement the algorithm in Spring Boot (e.g., a service
class) rather than React for faster processing and cleaner code.
4. UI Polish: Use a CSS framework like Tailwind CSS or Material-UI with React to
make the frontend visually appealing without much effort.
My Idea for Your Stack
Your choices are excellent, and here’s a tailored suggestion to make the most of them:

• Structure:
o Backend: Organize Spring Boot into layers (Controller → Service →
Repository) for clean code.
o Frontend: Break React into components
(e.g., CourseForm, TimetableGrid, ReportTable).
o Database: Design MySQL with tables like:
§ courses (id, name, duration, frequency)
§ teachers (id, name, availability)
§ rooms (id, capacity, features)
§ timetable (id, course_id, teacher_id, room_id, time_slot)

• Special Feature: Code the conflict resolution in a Spring Boot service

(e.g., TimetableService.resolveConflicts()), returning suggestions as JSON to
React for display.

• Development Flow:
1. Set up MySQL schema and seed initial data.
2. Build Spring Boot APIs for CRUD (start with Course Management).
3. Create React pages to call those APIs (e.g., course list).
4. Add the Timetable Generator logic in Spring Boot, test it, then render it in
React.
5. Implement reports and the special feature last.