Considering Section Balance in an Integer Optimization Model for the Curriculum-Based Course Timetabling Problem

University course timetabling is a complex and time-consuming duty that every educational institution faces regularly. It consists of scheduling a set of lectures in predefined time slots so as to avoid student conflicts, meet teacher and room availability, and manage several institution-specific op...

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Published in:Mathematics (Basel) Vol. 8; no. 10; p. 1763
Main Authors: Palma, Cristian D., Bornhardt, Patrick
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2020
Subjects:
balanced scheduling
Classrooms
Colleges & universities
course timetabling
Curricula
curriculum-based timetabling
Failure rates
integer programing
Integer programming
Logic programming
Mathematics
Optimization models
Public speaking
Schedules
Scheduling
Students
ISSN:2227-7390, 2227-7390
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:University course timetabling is a complex and time-consuming duty that every educational institution faces regularly. It consists of scheduling a set of lectures in predefined time slots so as to avoid student conflicts, meet teacher and room availability, and manage several institution-specific operational rules. In this paper, we schedule courses based on a curriculum, that is, before the students’ registration. Unlike other curriculum-based models, the proposed model considers two practical aspects when managing the conflicts between lectures: (i) it schedules sections of subjects so that each section is evenly likely to be registered by the students, and (ii) it considers the failure rates and periodicity a subject is taught. We present a multi-objective integer programming model that maximizes the use of specific time slots, the symmetry in which the lectures of a course are scheduled during a week, and the flexibility for straggler students to take courses. The model is solved using commercial software, and it is applied to a real course-timetabling problem. We show the advantages of its use by comparing the model’s solution with the actual solution obtained by the manual scheduling.
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ISSN:2227-7390
2227-7390
DOI:10.3390/math8101763