TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Preamble
• 1. How do the scores and statistics look?
• 2. Are there any obvious issues with the way the classes have been placed on the lines?
• 3. Which students are 'missing units' or 'not perfect'?
• 4. Check the Missed courses information
• 5. Are there enough classes on each line?
• 6. Are there any part timer warnings?
• 7. Are class sizes balanced?

Preamble

IMPORTANT 
This article assumes knowledge of the concepts covered in the document: E10 - View lines: Results of line generation

NOTE
Line generation is typically an iterative process. Initial runs are used to identify data issues, correct them and regenerate lines as needed.

For illustration purposes, consider below Lines > Line Results screen with year 11 lines generated around the year 12 lines.

 

Identifying Common Issues

1. How do the scores and statistics look?

Start by reviewing the summary table at the bottom of the screen. Values will vary by school, as each uses different data, so there is no magic number. 

The Success rate, Students missing units and the Students not perfect figures are generally the most useful. If these numbers are particularly concerning, further investigation is needed to discover why.

3. Which students are 'missing units' or 'not perfect'?

Refer to:  E10 - Line results: Student results

Look at the Students results screen to analyse the students who have not been granted all of their main preferences. 

Are there any particularly concerning students?

Are there any students who missed a subject where there was a rule in place that they must be granted the subject?

TIP
Toggle between the Views to display the results by Lines or by Preference, depending on how you'd like to see the results. Both options are helpful!

Example: Catherine missed 10MAT despite the rule 'at least 2 M'.

 

ALERT
Check your rules! They are not just for Timetable Choice subject selection. They also play a key role in line generation. Add them if necessary and generate again.

4. Are there any courses that were missed by a large number of students?

Refer to:  E10 - View lines Action: Missed courses & preferences report

The Missed courses report show which courses students missed and can be referenced to determine which classes to add in case more classes are needed on the lines.

5. Are there enough classes on each line?

In most schools, certain year levels must have enough classes on each line to fit every student, ie, they cannot be placed into a Study class, usually years 7-10, and sometimes Year 11. Check for any 'Places' and 'places short' warnings.

6. Are there any part timer warnings?

The algorithm will try to group part-time teachers' classes onto the same line, where they need the same day off, to allow greater flexibility at construction time, provided:

• teacher unavailability data is accurate, and
• the Part‑timer harmony weighting is included in the line Construction parameters

The image below shows that there are four lines that involve part time teachers that need Wed off. It means:

• Lines 1, 3, 4 & 6 all cannot run on Wednesday, likely to cause issues placing classes on the Master Grid
• Only 2 out of 6 lines can run on Wednesday, likely to cause spread issues (depending on school's bell time structure)

WARNING 
Possible implications if not rectified: classes split between teachers, or some periods run offline.

TIP
Watch out for this warnings, particularly when manually moving classes around the lines using drag and drop.
Ensure all part-timer data are updated.

7. Are class sizes balanced?

The algorithm balances class sizes as it generates lines, but an additional shuffle function is available to improve balance and overall student results. Always run Populate classes, particularly after manually moving classes around the lines.

Refer to:  E10 - View lines Action: Populate classes

TIP
Eventually issues  are resolved, lines approved, and the line information is transferred to Class data via Create Classes.
Students will be informed of their subjects at some stage, but it is best to delay this communication as long as possible. If issues are found during staffing or timetable construction, a return to line generation stage may be needed, which will change subject allocations.