Genesis: Seating Chart Tools

Adds helpful tools to the 'Seating Chart' screen in Genesis. Written by Andrew Hogan Aug 29, 2018.

----- Info ----- For use in RIH district ONLY! If you are a district Tech Director/Coordinator and you are interested in this extension, or products like these, please contact me directly at [email protected] ----- What do I do? ----- In Genesis, go to the seating chart screen in any class. There is a new button up top that says "Seating Chart Solver" Click it to open up the solver. To see what it does, click "Solve" and watch it try to solve for a seating chart solution. Next, configure student options to get the seating chart you really desire. Click "Use fittest" to implement the solution onto your seating chart Click "Close" to close the screen and ignore any changes. ----- Will it mess up my Genesis settings? ----- No - you don't have to save any changes this extension makes to your seating chart. I encourage you to experiment with it to see if you can get it to work for you. It's possible that it won't fit your needs, especially if your room layout isn't like any of the options! ----- How does it work? ----- This extension implements a Genetic Algorithm for solving the most "optimal" seating chart for your students. It's NOT plug-and-play! To get it to work well, you should spend some time configuring options and experimenting with it to get it to do what you really want. Genetic Algorithms generate "random" solutions and allow them to "compete" against each other, mimicking an evolutionary process. Each generation is evaluated for the individual with the greatest "Fitness" score. The fittest "survives" and that is your chosen solution.