Algorithm Based on Local Search Method for Examination Proctors Assignment Problem Considering Various Constraints

Abstract

In a periodic examination and a general entrance examination of a university, examination proctors are needed in order to smoothly and rigorously carry out the examination. Since such an examination is typically executed at many sites at the same time, many examination proctors are required and they must be assigned appropriately. When assigning proctors, there are a wide range of constraints to be considered. When all the constraints are not satisfied, it is necessary to obtain a solution that satisfies the constraints as much as possible by minimizing the total of the penalties for the soft constraints. In this way, the examination proctors assignment problem can be formulated as an optimization problem. We formulate the problem of assigning proctors as an integer programming problem. Furthermore, we design an algorithm based on the 2-opt method of local search which is one of the meta-heuristic algorithms. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by applying it to some periodic examination assignment with actual sizes. As a result, the proposed algorithm can output a feasible solution of a local minimum, even if the size of an instance of the problem is large and the optimization solver cannot solve it.