With advising week almost over, something that is incubating in the back of every student's mind is the upcoming course enrollment for Spring 2006. Although course enrollment starts Monday, we all know what we have to go through every semester and the multitude of difficulties that entails.
This process includes checking out the Course Offering Directory, going through the Undergraduate Catalogue to find out requirements, printing out Vista reports from ISIS, asking friends and colleagues for advice and speaking with professors. All of these steps can not be simplified, unless you are one of those few people who have planned out every semester before graduation. This is a tough time for the typical student in trying to figure out the perfect schedule for the upcoming term.
Aleksandr Gershaft, an Engineering alumnus, was the typical student. Fortunately, he also majored in Computer Science. Before his graduation last year, he left a legacy incomparable to those who proceeded him and a program of incredible versatility. With the help of his friends, Gershaft provided fellow University students with a way to design the perfect timetable every semester. He calls this "The Scheduler," which is also known as the "Fluid Combinator."
Gershaft said he had a hard time keeping up with studies as well as trying to figure out the ideal schedule for next semester.
"Why not let computer do all this?" he wondered.
With this high goal in mind, he and a couple of his friends started to work during their spare time to develop a simple software that would determine all possible schedules for them and let them choose by a simple click.
In several months the software was completed and tested with fantastic results. Since then, the Fluid Combinator has spread slowly by word of mouth. After developing the software with the help of his friends, Gershaft continues to improve on it, correct bugs and adjust to changes in ITC's database.
"The Scheduler is a small windows application that uses resources offered by the Registrar to automatically generate all possible schedules with your desired courses," Gershaft wrote on his Web site.
Students need to simply download the software, indicate their school and type in their desired courses. The program then builds possible schedules based on the available times offered by the course. In addition to typing in courses, students may also include meetings, activities or personal events. The program can mold the course schedules around these other important commitments. For all those struggling to decide what times to take a certain class, The Scheduler is the best and most convenient bet.
For example, if a student has a weekly meeting every Monday at 2 p.m., it will automatically drop any course schedule option that happens to fall at that time and give the student the leftover choices.
Students who have used this program said they find it helpful and user-friendly.
Third-year College student Aisha Ahmed said she likes the program but thinks it has room for improvement.
"The Scheduler made my life much simpler, but it would have been even better if it was linked with ratemyprofessor.com or the Course Selection Guide available on the COD," Ahmed said.
Despite praise for the Scheduler, it still is not officially recognized by the University.
"If only it had been adopted by our ITC department, it would have had much larger awareness on Grounds," third-year College student Zara Haq said.
Muzammil can be reached at muzammilsaya@cavalierdaily.com
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