The further and higher education timetabling process usually begins before the demand for the Programmes and Modules being offered is known. Scientia's Enterprise Course Planner assists the university timetabler to make intelligent estimates of demand, plan the correct number of activities to satisfy the demand and respond rapidly to more accurate information as it becomes available.

Intelligent estimates
At the beginning of the timetabling process the user may have an approximate idea of the numbers expected on any given Programme of Study. With a knowledge of the choices made by students in previous years, the number of options being offered and the requirements of the Programme, the user can make an informed estimate of the likely student choices for the coming academic year and plan accordingly.

Efficient module planning and delivery
Having described the way that each Module is to be delivered (e.g. each student must attend a lecture and a tutorial) and the ideal class sizes, Enterprise Course Planner can determine the number of activities required to deliver the Module efficiently and the scheduling constraints that must be imposed to ensure clash-free timetables for students.

Rapid response to change
As real student information becomes available as a result of synchronisation with a student record system or gathering of student choices via Scientia's Student Allocator software, Enterprise Course Planner compares the reality with the predictions on which the timetable is currently based. Discrepancies (such as Modules with too few places planned, or options that appear to be more or less popular than estimated) are flagged to the user along with possible remedies.