SAPHIR: A Decision Support System for Course Scheduling

Producing a schedule for an academic institution is a highly combinatorial problem and a very demanding task. In order to obtain an acceptable solution, human factors also have to be taken into account. We developed a decision support system incorporating efficient optimization procedures and interactive tools to help the user adjust the schedule to his or her specifications. Our system, which is implemented on a micro-computer, is now used each term in two major Canadian universities in Montreal and Sherbrooke.