Lebanon Univ chalks out IT for scheduling

MIDDLE EAST: Lebanon’s Beirut Arab University (BAU) has selected UniversiTools software to manage its full scheduling needs acrossuniversity campuses in Lebanon and Egypt.

According to Dr. Walid Shatila, BAU I.T. Director and Professor, “White Mountain scheduling modules provide a smooth flow and critical link with the functionalities of our existing SIS system: advising; registration; course, classroom and exam scheduling; and grading. UniversiTools integrates ideally with Banner.” UniversiTools’ robust scheduling modules administer course scheduling, classroom scheduling, 100 per cent guaranteed conflict-free midterm and final exam scheduling, and common times. UniversiTools university software is developed by White Mountain Technologies.

“UniversiTools Course Scheduling module takes courses the university would like to offer in a coming semester and schedules them by section by day and hour in the most optimal way, following the university’s conditions, regulations, and constraints. This process is also referred to as Course Offering.”

In BAU’s case, the university determines the courses offered. Based on student enrollment, the university splits courses into sections, then schedules the sections based on credit hours, pre-requisites and co-requisites, room capacity and needs, and teacher time constraints.

Established in the Tarik El-Jadidah district of Beirut in 1960, Beirut Arab University offers over 300 programs to 15,000 students per year. The university’s aggressive strategy will see campus expansion in Tripoli, Debbieh, and the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, as well as Alexandria, Egypt, as it shares in a press release. It is also academically affiliated with Alexandria University in Egypt.

Ghassan Abboud, White Mountain Managing Director, explains, “We’re confident of our ability to link and fill the gaps within other Student Information Systems (SIS).” The project, from start to delivery, spans six weeks.
Other members of the UniversiTools user community in the Middle East include such universities as American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon, American University in Dubai (AUD) and American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).