Step 5: Faculty Configuration

Faculty configuration is where you define your teaching staff, their qualifications, availability, and workload limits. This information enables the system to assign the right teachers to appropriate courses while respecting their constraints and expertise.

Understanding Teacher Data Requirements

The Individual Student Schedule Generator needs comprehensive information about each teacher to make optimal assignments and create feasible schedules.

Faculty configuration showing teacher profiles with course qualifications and availability

Essential Teacher Information

Teacher ID: Unique identifier for each faculty member

• Use existing employee IDs when possible
• Maintain consistency with payroll and HR systems
• Include substitute teachers who may cover regular classes

Full Name: Complete name as it should appear on schedules

• Use formal names for professional documents
• Include titles (Dr., Mr., Ms.) if your institution uses them
• Consider how names display on student and parent communications

Department/Subject Area: Primary teaching specialization

• Mathematics, Science, English, Social Studies, etc.
• Helps organize teachers and validate course assignments
• Useful for reporting and administrative oversight

Course Qualifications

Subject Matter Qualifications

Qualified Courses: Specific courses the teacher can teach

• Must match course codes from your course catalog exactly
• Include all courses where the teacher has appropriate expertise
• List all subjects the teacher is qualified to handle

Teaching Load and Workload Limits

Maximum Periods Per Week: Total teaching periods the teacher can handle

• Consider full-time vs. part-time status
• Account for non-teaching duties (department head, coaching, etc.)
• Include preparation and grading time requirements

Preferred Teaching Load: Optimal number of periods for the teacher

• May be less than maximum to allow for quality instruction
• Consider teacher experience and course difficulty
• Balance veteran teachers with newer faculty members

Course Load Limits: Maximum sections of specific courses

• Some courses require extensive preparation (Advanced Chemistry, AP courses)
• Laboratory courses may have additional setup and cleanup time
• Creative courses might need individual student attention

Teacher Availability and Constraints

Daily Availability Patterns

Standard Availability: Periods when the teacher is normally available

• Full-time teachers: Usually available all periods except lunch
• Part-time teachers: Specific days or periods only
• Shared teachers: Split time between multiple schools

Blocked Periods: Times when the teacher cannot teach

• Administrative duties (department meetings, parent conferences)
• Other school responsibilities (coaching, club supervision)
• Personal commitments (medical appointments, family obligations)

Preferred Periods: Times when the teacher works most effectively

• Morning preference for intensive courses
• Afternoon preference for creative or discussion-based courses
• Consider teacher energy levels and teaching style

Faculty Data Import Methods

Individual Teacher Entry

For smaller faculties or detailed customization:

1. Add New Teacher: Click "Add Teacher" button
2. Enter Basic Info: Teacher ID, name, and department
3. Set Qualifications: Select qualified courses
4. Configure Availability: Mark available periods and any restrictions
5. Set Workload: Define maximum and preferred teaching loads
6. Save Profile: Confirm teacher record

Bulk Faculty Import

For larger school systems, import via CSV file:

Basic Faculty CSV Structure:

Teacher_ID,Name,Department,Qualified_Courses,Max_Periods_Per_Week,Available_Days
T001,Sarah Johnson,Mathematics,"MATH-101,MATH-ADV,CALC-101",25,"Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday"
T002,Michael Chen,Science,"BIO-101,BIO-LAB,CHEM-101,PHYS-101",30,"Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday"
T003,Emma Rodriguez,English,"ENG-101,ENG-ADV,LIT-MOD,WRIT-CRE",28,"Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday"

Advanced CSV with Availability:

Teacher_ID,Name,Department,Qualified_Courses,Max_Periods,Blocked_Periods,Preferred_Periods
T001,Sarah Johnson,Math,"MATH-101,CALC-101",25,"Monday-P1,Friday-P8","Tuesday-P2,Wednesday-P3"

Import Validation and Quality Checks

Automatic Validation:

• Teacher IDs are unique
• Qualified courses exist in course catalog
• Workload limits are reasonable
• Availability periods align with school schedule

Common Issues:

• Course codes don't match catalog entries
• Workload exceeds available periods
• No teachers qualified for required courses
• Insufficient total teaching capacity for student demand

Next Steps

With faculty information configured, you're ready to move to Rooms Configuration where you'll set up your physical facilities and their capabilities.

Quick Checklist:

• All teaching staff entered with complete information
• Course qualifications match available courses
• Teacher availability periods are realistic
• Workload limits allow for quality instruction
• Special requirements and constraints noted
• Faculty data validates without errors