  In modular educational systems, students are allowed to choose a part of
their own curriculum themselves. This is typically done in the final class
levels which lead to maturity for university access. The rationale behind
letting students choose their courses themselves is to enhance
self-responsibility, improve student motivation, and allow a focus on specific
areas of interest. A central instrument for bringing these systems to fruition
is the timetable. However, scheduling the timetable in such systems can be an
extremely challenging and time-consuming task. In this study, we present a
framework for classifying modular educational systems in Europe that reflects
different degrees of freedom regarding student choices, and explore the
consequences from the perspective of scheduling a timetable that satisfies all
requirements from the organizational and the pedagogical perspective. For this
purpose, we conducted interviews in Austria, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg and apply the framework to these educational
systems, finding that among them the Finnish system shows the highest degree of
modularity. After analyzing the consequences of modularity from the scheduling
perspective, we assess the necessity for automated scheduling methods, which
are central for realizing the potential and many benefits of modular education
in practice.
