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Investigations of a constraint logic programming approach to university timetabling

  • Resoning About Constrainsts
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Practice and Theory of Automated Timetabling (PATAT 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1153))

Abstract

The casting of university timetables is a problem which combines classical numerical scheduling techniques with important human considerations. It will be argued here that since the application involves the preferences of humans, the problem is qualitatively different than similar problems involving inanimate objects. The humane and profane facets are combined in this study by using the constraint logic programming approach. The constraints are hierarchical: the primary constraints are rigidly enforced and the secondary constraints are relaxed according to their priority if a solution cannot be found. We present a solution based on a Prolog description of the constraints and goals. Two working implementations are described, one using an IBM mainframe and one using a personal computer. Tests with synthetic data and real data from a university have shown that good timetables can be cast using this method in a reasonable amount of time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Science Dept., University of Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Ottawa, Canada

    Czarina Cheng, Le Kang, Norrus Leung & George M. White

Authors
  1. Czarina Cheng
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  2. Le Kang
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  3. Norrus Leung
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  4. George M. White
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Edmund Burke Peter Ross

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cheng, C., Kang, L., Leung, N., White, G.M. (1996). Investigations of a constraint logic programming approach to university timetabling. In: Burke, E., Ross, P. (eds) Practice and Theory of Automated Timetabling. PATAT 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1153. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61794-9_55

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61794-9_55

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61794-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-70682-3

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