Transforming India's Largest Placement Drive
Overview
IIM Calcutta faced challenges in creating effective timetables each academic term. The manual process of scheduling classes, taking into account demand for courses, avoiding scheduling conflicts, and considering faculty preferences, had become time-consuming and error-prone. The school sought to streamline this process through automation, using data-driven methods to improve efficiency and accuracy. This case study outlines how the school implemented an automated timetable scheduling system based on demand estimation data, a course clash matrix, and faculty preferences, significantly improving the process.
The Problem
Before automation, the school’s scheduling team manually assigned courses to available time slots, trying to balance several variables:
- Demand Estimation Data: Predicting student enrollment for various courses.
- Course Clash Matrix: Avoiding scheduling conflicts between courses often taken by the same students.
- Faculty Preferences: Accommodating instructors' preferred teaching times and avoiding overbooking them.
This process involved back-and-forth communication between faculty, the administration, and students. As the number of courses and faculty increased, the scheduling process became more complex, often resulting in inefficiencies, scheduling conflicts, and under-utilization of classrooms. There was also a growing dissatisfaction among students who could not enroll in their preferred classes due to poor time slot allocation.
Objectives
The primary goals of the automation initiative were:
- Increased efficiency: Automating the scheduling process to save time.
- Better demand matching: Using enrollment data to ensure popular courses were scheduled in larger venues and at optimal times.
- Conflict resolution: Preventing course clashes and double bookings for both students and faculty.
- Faculty satisfaction: Incorporating faculty preferences without manual intervention.
- Flexibility: Allowing quick adjustments in response to changes in student enrollment or faculty availability.
Solution: An Automated Timetable Scheduling System
The business school implemented a timetable scheduling system built around three key data sources: demand estimation data, a course clash matrix, and faculty preferences. The system also leveraged optimization algorithms to create conflict-free schedules.
1. Demand Estimation Data
The school had historical data on student enrollment patterns and trends for each course, which was fed into a demand estimation model. This model predicted the number of students likely to enroll in each course, enabling the system to assign appropriate time slots and classroom sizes. Popular courses were given priority for larger venues and time slots with high student availability.
2. Course Clash Matrix
A matrix was developed that mapped out common course pairings that students often take together. The matrix identified potential clashes if two or more courses were scheduled simultaneously. The automated system used this data to ensure that no two courses likely to be taken by the same students were scheduled at the same time.
3. Faculty Preferences
Faculty members were asked to submit their preferences for teaching times (e.g., mornings, afternoons) and any constraints (e.g., research commitments, personal scheduling conflicts). These preferences were then incorporated into the scheduling system. The system aimed to accommodate as many preferences as possible while still ensuring a balanced and efficient schedule.
4. Optimization Algorithm
The system used a constraint-based optimization algorithm, designed to find the best possible schedule based on the available data. The algorithm balanced several competing priorities:
- Minimizing course clashes for students.
- Assigning courses to suitable classrooms based on demand predictions.
- Accommodating faculty preferences.
- Ensuring balanced use of classrooms and time slots to avoid overloading any one period.
Implementation
The implementation process involved several phases:
- Data Collection and Integration: Historical enrollment data, course relationship data (clash matrix), and faculty preferences were gathered and standardized for integration into the new system.
- System Development: The timetable scheduling software was customized for the school’s needs, with functionalities added to input, process, and output schedules based on the three key data sets.
- Testing and Validation: A series of test schedules were generated and validated against historical outcomes. Faculty and administrative staff reviewed the test schedules to ensure the system was meeting their needs.
- Training and Rollout: Training sessions were held for administrative staff on how to input data, review schedules, and make minor manual adjustments when needed.
Results
The new system led to several immediate improvements:
- Increased Efficiency: The time spent creating timetables was reduced by more than 70%. What used to take weeks was now done in a matter of days.
- Fewer Scheduling Conflicts: There was a marked reduction in student complaints about course clashes, with the system resolving over 95% of potential conflicts identified by the course clash matrix.
- Optimized Classroom Use: Classrooms were better utilized, with larger classes assigned to appropriately sized rooms based on demand estimation.
- Faculty Satisfaction: Over 85% of faculty preferences were successfully incorporated into the final schedule, improving satisfaction among instructors.
- Improved Flexibility: The system allowed for quick re-scheduling in response to changes in student enrollment or unexpected faculty absences, without needing to start from scratch.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
While the automated scheduling system proved successful, several challenges were encountered:
- Data Quality: The system’s effectiveness depended heavily on accurate demand estimation and up-to-date faculty preferences. Initial data inconsistencies required additional cleaning and verification.
- Faculty Buy-In: Some faculty members were initially skeptical of the new system, fearing it would reduce their flexibility. Clear communication and the system’s ability to accommodate most preferences helped ease concerns.
- Customization: The business school required a custom solution to fit its specific needs, which increased initial development time and costs. However, the long-term benefits of efficiency gains outweighed these initial hurdles.
Conclusion
By implementing an automated timetable scheduling system that leveraged demand estimation data, a course clash matrix, and faculty preferences, the business school significantly improved its scheduling process. The system not only saved time and reduced errors but also improved faculty and student satisfaction by creating more balanced, conflict-free timetables. This case demonstrates the value of data-driven decision-making and automation in addressing complex administrative challenges in higher education.
Explore More Case Studies
Indian School of Business
Overview
ISB Hyderabad digitally transformed its hybrid placement process, efficiently managing 900+ students and 400+ interview coordinators across six institutions. EDTEX-Skynet delivered automation for India's largest recruitment drive, enhancing speed, reliability, and satisfaction.
The Challenge
ISB faced high logistical complexity managing hybrid and virtual placements for hundreds of candidates. Manual scheduling, communication bottlenecks, and lack of centralized control slowed down the process, risking delays and errors.
Pain Points
- Communication breakdowns between palcecoms, students, & recruiters
- Manual scheduling causing delays, errors, and overlapping interview times
- Limited visibility into process status and real-time candidate progress
- Challenges onboarding external coordinators and institutions quickly
The Solution
EDTEX-Skynet automated the placement workflow, from interview scheduling and coordinator management to digital candidate tracking. The platform enabled onboarding and training of 400 external coordinators in under six months, displayed real-time status dashboards, and delivered 24/7 support to ensure smooth operations.
Business Outcomes
- 100% virtual/hybrid placement process for 900+ students400+ interview coordinators onboarded and trained in six months
- Automated scheduling and reporting—no process delays
- Real-time dashboards for students, recruiters, and placement teams
- Scalable for future institutional growth
XLRI Jamshedpur
XLRI Recommends EDTEX Skynet for Successful Placement Automation
We are pleased to recommend "Skynet"—Placement Automation Software developed by WINSPIRE, also known by the brand name "EDTEX". Since its implementation at XLRI in October 2018, Skynet has significantly enhanced our placement processes, demonstrating exceptional performance and reliability.
Successful Automation of Day Placement Process
Team EDTEX successfully automated the Day Placement Process at XLRI, which includes efficient scheduling and real-time student tracking. This automation has streamlined our placement activities, making the process more organized and manageable for all involved parties.
Innovative Virtual Placement Solutions During the Pandemic
During the challenging times of the pandemic, Team EDTEX displayed remarkable innovation by developing a Virtual Placements Automation Software. This solution provided dedicated interfaces for both students and companies, ensuring that the placement process could continue smoothly despite the constraints of physical distancing.
Using the Skynet Virtual Placement solution, XLRI conducted its Summer Internship Process (SIP) entirely virtually. The platform's robust features and seamless integration ensured that the virtual placements were conducted without any disruptions, maintaining the high standards of our placement activities.
Comprehensive Support and Satisfaction
We are extremely satisfied with the support provided by the EDTEX team during the placement process. Their commitment to ensuring the smooth operation of Skynet and addressing any issues promptly was crucial in enabling a successful placement season.
All stakeholders involved in the placements process, including students, the Placement Committee, Institute Administration, and participating companies, have expressed their satisfaction with Skynet. The platform has proven to be an invaluable asset in facilitating virtual placements, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for everyone.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the implementation of Skynet at XLRI has been a tremendous success. The automation of our placement processes, coupled with the innovative virtual solutions provided during the pandemic, has significantly improved our ability to manage placements effectively.
We highly recommend EDTEX Skynet to other institutions seeking to enhance their placement processes through automation. The expertise and support provided by Team EDTEX have been instrumental in achieving our placement goals and ensuring a positive experience for all stakeholders involved.
OP Jindal Global University
OP JGU executes Real-Time Course Bidding Process by EDTEX for its Multi-Term, Multi-School, Multi-Programme Elective Course Bidding
OPJGU is one of the premier new generation Private University that digitized the Course Bidding process using time-based course selection window for more than 5000 students in a single registration window with the Registro platform in 2020.
This innovation has reduced manual effort by more than 97% for both the IT office allowed implementing:
1. Implementation of programmes specific credit policies
2. Supporting Multi Term Bidding involving multiple elective bidding rounds
3. and reduced the overall student queries by 99% during course registration process.
4. Students have complete visibility into the course allocation process
EDTEX team worked with the IT Office and programme Offices to help design and setup a process for the best practices of the elective course bidding process. EDTEX team handheld the support, customized the bidding system to hand and onboarding process to the course bidding system.
This innovation has reduced manual effort by more than 97% for both the Programme Offices and students and allowed implementing programme specific credit policies
The implementation of the Registro platform has markedly enhanced overall resource utilization at the institute, allowing for better planning to accommodate the increasing student intake. The course bidding process has consistently received high student satisfaction ratings of over 4.5 out of 5.0. To date, Registro has supported the first Multi Term Elective Bidding cycles, involving over 30,000students and 5,000 electives cumulatively since the first implementation in the year 2020.
Streamlined Elective Course Bidding Process
Coursebidding at OP Jindal Global University is a complex operation involving thousands of students from the 10+ School and 45+ Programmes. The Registro CourseBidding Software, developed by EDTEX, has been instrumental in handling the intricate scenarios associated with the multiple school course bidding process that involved seat sharing and concentration/ specialization implementation.
Since its implementation in 2020, students and administrators have reported a vastly improved bidding experience. The software efficiently manages a high volume of bids, ensuring a fair and smooth process that meets the diverse needs of the student body.
Comprehensive Support Systems from EDTEX
EDTEX provides dedicated support systems for the easy onboarding of students and MBA Programme Office staff:
- User Power-Guides: Available in both video and document formats.
- LIVE Workshops: Guidance for both the Programme Office and the students.
- Consultation: Assistance from the EDTEX team for Programme policy adaptation and best practices for elective course bidding registration.
- LIVE Chat Support: Available during the elective course bidding process.
- Data Preparation and Upload Support: Assistance during data preparation and upload stages.
Conclusion
The adoption of EDTEX Registro Course Bidding Software by OP Jindal Global University in 2020 marked a significant milestone in the institute's journey towards digital transformation. This innovation has streamlined the course bidding process, significantly reducing manual effort and improving the overall experience for both students and administrators.
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