Redesigning the Schedule Time Slots for Qatar University to Cope with Local Specificities

This study is concerned with the redesign of the class meeting patternat Qatar University. It examines the existing meeting pattern based on itsoperational efficiency, its alignment with the strategic plan of the University,and its perception by the students and the faculty members. The analysis revealsserious limitations and shows the need for a new pattern with a full non-teachingday and no one-hour lectures. A capacity analysis proves the feasibility of such apattern. Taking into consideration the specifications of the Qatari society, it wasjudged that the non-teaching day be split in two-half days. The present researchrecognizes the distinction between scheduling and class meeting patterns andaims to address the under-researched theme of having the meeting pattern as avariable rather than just an input to scheduling.