The Assignment of Teaching Staff to Courses at Teaching Institutions: the Case of Faculty of Commerce University of Nairobi

Abstract

In order to make use of individuals skills while providing job satisfaction, the assignment of individuals to jobs is cruicial to the smooth and economic functioning of any organization. However, to perform this function is not simple. It involves a series of decisions which in most cases conflict. Available literature indicates that, model-based approaches to aid in resource planning allocation problems have been rarely used at departmental level in most of teaching institutions because of the multiple objectives involved in decision making process. There is also lack of awareness and lack of skills. It is within that framework that this study was originated to provide a modelling tool for departmental preference in course assignments to staff. The conflict in the course assignment problem between competing individuals (wanting to teach the same course) represents an ideal application of the goal conflicting resolution properties inherent in goal programming. In this study, three goals were considered in assigning teaching staff to courses. The order of the goals is as follows: PI : to satisfy course offerings requirements; P2 : to meet teaching load assignment goals; and

P3 : to meet members course teaching preferences. So, this study tries to determine the optimum assignment plan, so that the individuals course teaching preferences in the assignment is achieved. The results indicated that 70% of members were assigned to the ~urses they mostly prefer, this will be valuable to both department administration, students and individual members of academic staff.