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A new model for automated examination timetabling

Author

Listed:
  • Barry McCollum
  • Paul McMullan
  • Andrew Parkes
  • Edmund Burke
  • Rong Qu

Abstract

Automated examination timetabling has been addressed by a wide variety of methodologies and techniques over the last ten years or so. Many of the methods in this broad range of approaches have been evaluated on a collection of benchmark instances provided at the University of Toronto in 1996. Whilst the existence of these datasets has provided an invaluable resource for research into examination timetabling, the instances have significant limitations in terms of their relevance to real-world examination timetabling in modern universities. This paper presents a detailed model which draws upon experiences of implementing examination timetabling systems in universities in Europe, Australasia and America. This model represents the problem that was presented in the 2nd International Timetabling Competition (ITC2007). In presenting this detailed new model, this paper describes the examination timetabling track introduced as part of the competition. In addition to the model, the datasets used in the competition are also based on current real-world instances introduced by EventMAP Limited. It is hoped that the interest generated as part of the competition will lead to the development, investigation and application of a host of novel and exciting techniques to address this important real-world search domain. Moreover, the motivating goal of this paper is to close the currently existing gap between theory and practice in examination timetabling by presenting the research community with a rigorous model which represents the complexity of the real-world situation. In this paper we describe the model and its motivations, followed by a full formal definition. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Barry McCollum & Paul McMullan & Andrew Parkes & Edmund Burke & Rong Qu, 2012. "A new model for automated examination timetabling," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 291-315, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:annopr:v:194:y:2012:i:1:p:291-315:10.1007/s10479-011-0997-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10479-011-0997-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barry McCollum & Andrea Schaerf & Ben Paechter & Paul McMullan & Rhyd Lewis & Andrew J. Parkes & Luca Di Gaspero & Rong Qu & Edmund K. Burke, 2010. "Setting the Research Agenda in Automated Timetabling: The Second International Timetabling Competition," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 120-130, February.
    2. Burke, Edmund K. & McCollum, Barry & Meisels, Amnon & Petrovic, Sanja & Qu, Rong, 2007. "A graph-based hyper-heuristic for educational timetabling problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(1), pages 177-192, January.
    3. van Loon, J. N. M., 1981. "Irreducibly inconsistent systems of linear inequalities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 283-288, November.
    4. Salem Al-Yakoob & Hanif Sherali & Mona Al-Jazzaf, 2010. "A mixed-integer mathematical modeling approach to exam timetabling," Computational Management Science, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 19-46, January.
    5. Burke, E.K. & Eckersley, A.J. & McCollum, B. & Petrovic, S. & Qu, R., 2010. "Hybrid variable neighbourhood approaches to university exam timetabling," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 206(1), pages 46-53, October.
    6. K A Dowsland & J M Thompson, 2005. "Ant colony optimization for the examination scheduling problem," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 56(4), pages 426-438, April.
    7. E.K. Burke & J.P. Newall, 2004. "Solving Examination Timetabling Problems through Adaption of Heuristic Orderings," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 107-134, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Johnes, Jill, 2015. "Operational Research in education," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 243(3), pages 683-696.
    2. Taha Arbaoui & Jean-Paul Boufflet & Aziz Moukrim, 2015. "Preprocessing and an improved MIP model for examination timetabling," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 229(1), pages 19-40, June.
    3. Alejandro Cataldo & Juan-Carlos Ferrer & Jaime Miranda & Pablo A. Rey & Antoine Sauré, 2017. "An integer programming approach to curriculum-based examination timetabling," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 258(2), pages 369-393, November.
    4. T. Godwin, 2022. "Obtaining quality business school examination timetable under heterogeneous elective selections through surrogacy," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 59(3), pages 1055-1093, September.

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