Help

Exam Scheduler Help

Complete guide to using the AI-powered exam scheduling system. Learn how to set up your data, run optimizations, and export professional schedules.

Quick Start Overview

Get started in 5 simple steps

Setup Data

Teachers, Courses, Classrooms

Create Sections

Define exam groups

Set Periods

Define exam timeframes

Run Optimizer

Generate schedules

Export Results

PDF/Excel reports

System Requirements & Prerequisites

Required Data

Teacher information (names, departments, emails)

Course details (codes, names, departments)

Classroom specifications (capacity, equipment)

Section definitions (student counts, durations)

Time slot configurations

System Features

AI-powered genetic algorithm optimization

Real-time progress tracking

Advanced filtering and constraints

Multiple export formats (PDF, Excel)

Interactive calendar view

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Step 1: Setup Teachers

Add all teachers who will be supervising exams

Navigation:

Dashboard → Teachers → Add New Teacher

Screenshot: Teachers Management Page

Screenshot would show the Teachers page with the "Add New Teacher" button highlighted

Required Fields:

Name

Full teacher name

Contact email address

Department

Academic department

Example Data:

Name: Dr. John Smith

Email: john.smith@university.edu

Department: Computer Science

Important Notes:

• Teachers must be added before assigning courses
• Email addresses should be unique
• You can set teacher availability constraints later

Step 2: Setup Courses

Define all courses that will have examinations

Navigation:

Dashboard → Courses → Add New Course

Required Fields:

Code

Course code (e.g., CS101)

Name

Full course name

Department

Academic department

Example Data:

Code: CS101

Name: Introduction to Computer Science

Department: Computer Science

Step 3: Setup Classrooms

Add all available examination rooms with their specifications

Navigation:

Dashboard → Classrooms → Add New Classroom

Required Fields:

Name

Room identifier

Capacity

Maximum students

Building

Building name/code

Equipment

Projector, computers, etc.

Example Data:

Name: Room A101

Capacity: 50

Building: Science Building

Projector: Yes

Computers: No

Step 4: Create Sections

Define exam sections with student groups and durations

Navigation:

Dashboard → Sections → Add New Section

Required Fields:

Course

Select from courses

Name

Section identifier (A, B, 001, etc.)

Students

Number of students

Duration

Exam duration in minutes

Example Data:

Course: CS101 - Intro to CS

Name: Section A

Students: 35

Duration: 120 minutes

Step 5: Setup Exam Periods

Define the timeframes when exams will be conducted

Navigation:

Dashboard → Periods → Add New Period

Required Fields:

Name

Period name (Final Exams, Midterm, etc.)

Start Date

Period start date

End Date

Period end date

Active

Mark as active period

Example Data:

Name: Spring 2025 Finals

Start: 2025-06-08

End: 2025-06-15

Active: Yes

Running the Schedule Optimizer

Use AI-powered genetic algorithms to generate optimal exam schedules

Navigation:

Dashboard → Schedule Optimizer

Configuration Options

Period Selection

Choose the exam period to schedule

Run Name

Descriptive name for this optimization run

Algorithm Settings

Population size, iterations, mutation rate

Real-time Monitoring

Fitness evolution charts

Population diversity tracking

Valid solutions count

Progress indicators

Optimization Process:

Click "Generate Schedule" to start optimization
Monitor real-time progress with live charts
Wait for algorithm to complete (typically 1-5 minutes)
Review the generated schedule quality score
View results in calendar or export format

Real-time Progress Charts

Screenshot showing fitness evolution and diversity tracking

Optimization Results

Screenshot showing completed optimization with quality score

Viewing and Managing Results

Explore your generated schedules and manage multiple optimization runs

Calendar View

Interactive calendar showing:

• Exam slots by date and time
• Color-coded by course/teacher
• Click to view exam details
• Filter by various criteria

Schedule History

Manage optimization runs:

• View all generated schedules
• Compare quality scores
• Switch between runs
• Delete old schedules

Quality Metrics

Schedule quality indicators:

• Overall fitness score
• Constraint satisfaction
• Teacher workload balance
• Room utilization efficiency

Export Features

Generate professional reports in multiple formats

Navigation:

Dashboard → Export

Excel Export (.xlsx)

Features:

• Formatted spreadsheets with headers
• Multiple organization methods
• Easy data manipulation
• Compatible with all spreadsheet software

PDF Export (.pdf)

Features:

• Professional print-ready documents
• Automatic page breaks
• Formatted tables and headers
• Perfect for distribution

Organization Methods

By Date

Chronological order

By Course

Grouped by subject

By Teacher

Instructor schedules

By Classroom

Room utilization

Advanced Filtering

Teacher Filter

Export schedules for specific instructors

Course Filter

Focus on particular subjects or departments

Classroom Filter

Show usage for specific rooms or buildings

Troubleshooting & Common Issues

Data Setup Issues

No schedules generated

Ensure you have: teachers, courses, classrooms, sections, and time slots defined

Low quality scores

Check classroom capacities vs. section sizes, add more time slots, review constraints

Missing teacher assignments

Verify teacher-course relationships are properly configured

Optimization Issues

Optimization takes too long

Reduce population size or iterations in algorithm settings

Algorithm stops early

Increase timeout settings or check for constraint conflicts

No progress updates

Refresh the page or check your internet connection

Best Practices & Tips

Data Preparation

Set realistic exam durations (60-180 minutes typically)
Ensure classroom capacity exceeds section student count
Define multiple time slots for flexibility
Keep teacher and course data up to date

Optimization Strategy

Start with default algorithm settings
Run multiple optimizations and compare results
Use descriptive names for optimization runs
Monitor quality scores above 70% for good results

Need More Help?

If you encounter issues not covered in this guide, or need additional assistance:

📧 Check system logs in browser console

🔄 Try refreshing the page

💾 Export your data before making changes