Identification and analysis of factors influencing the scheduling process in the distance learning environment in Ukraine

The paper examines how lesson scheduling criteria must change when universities move to distance learning — a shift accelerated in Ukraine by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing military conflict. Traditional scheduling tools are built around three big constraints: course hours, lecturer availability, and classroom capacity. In an online setting, the classroom factor disappears entirely, and time constraints become more negotiable, which means the old framework no longer covers what actually matters. This way, the new approach is needed. To fill this simple gap, the authors propose a two-tier criteria set. The narrow entry tier keeps curriculum sizing and lecturer time slots, as these remain relevant regardless of the delivery format. The second tier adds six online-specific criteria: discipline weight (how important a subject is within a given program), time slot priorities (adjusted for student year and outside commitments like jobs), and knowledge control form (synchronous vs. asynchronous). Also taking into account the lesson sequencing (lectures before practices), load balancing (even distribution across the week), and output evaluation (a final conflict-check step before the schedule is finalized). This way, the complex set of criteria results in better data. The proposed criteria set is intended as a foundation for a more capable dispatching algorithm — one that produces schedules better suited to the realities of online education, with less manual effort and fewer conflicts in the final output. The research results are planned for implementation in the university.