Ratibahub

The design of Ratibahub was guided by empirical requirements gathered from key stakeholders at Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE), including examination officers, heads of academic departments, and college management. Through consultations and data collection, existing challenges in manual invigilation scheduling were identified and translated into functional and non-functional system requirements. This approach ensured that the resulting system aligns with actual institutional workflows, administrative hierarchies, and examination management practices.

Ratibahub automates the generation of examination invigilation timetables by systematically allocating invigilators to examination sessions while considering multiple institutional constraints. These constraints include staff availability, examination duration, departmental responsibilities, and policy-defined workload limits. By embedding these constraints into the scheduling logic, the system reduces human effort, minimizes scheduling conflicts, and improves the overall efficiency and reliability of the invigilation planning process.

A key concern identified during requirements analysis was the perceived inequity in the distribution of invigilation duties under manual scheduling practices. Ratibahub addresses this challenge by incorporating logic aimed at promoting fairness and transparency in task allocation. The system enables a more balanced distribution of invigilation workloads across academic staff, reducing bias, enhancing accountability, and fostering trust in the examination management process.

The system adopts a modular web-based architecture composed of a CodeIgniter 4 (CI4) frontend and a Django REST Framework (DRF) backend. Communication between system components is achieved through RESTful APIs, enabling loose coupling, ease of maintenance, and scalability. This architectural choice allows the system to evolve over time, supports integration with other institutional systems, and ensures that future enhancements can be implemented without disrupting existing functionality.

Beyond timetable generation, Ratibahub functions as a decision-support tool for examination officers and college management. By producing structured, consistent, and policy-compliant invigilation schedules, the system supports informed administrative decision-making. This contributes to improved transparency, better coordination among stakeholders, and more effective oversight of examination processes at the college level.