Abstract
We address the examination timetabling problem proposed in the second International Timetabling Competition (ITC2007). This paper presents new preprocessing stages and an improved mixed integer mathematical model. An exam-based conflict graph in which edges represent incompatibilities between exams is used. The preprocessing stages make use of the graph, together with hard constraints and room capacities, to reveal implicit constraints. Results show that the new preprocessing stages increase up to 106 % the number of conflict constraints an have more than doubled the size of the maximum clique. The improved mixed integer model comprises fewer constraints and is therefore more memory-efficient than the model presented after the competition. We propose valid inequalities based on cliques and a Data-dependent dual-feasible function to enhance our model. We run the tests on the twelve instances presented in the competition and the Yeditepe instances. The problem contains several criteria, which were also tested individually to help end users decide their respective importance. When our model and the original model are compared on the different instances, results show that the improved model yields better results for the majority of the cases and uses less memory.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arbaoui, T., Boufflet, J. P., & Moukrim, A. (2013). An analysis framework for examination timetabling. In proceedings of the sixth international symposium on combinatorial search (SoCS 2013), (pp 11–19) Leavenworth, WA, USA:AAAI press.
Atsuta, M., Nonobe, K., & Ibaraki, T. (2008). ITC2007 track 1: An approach using general csp solver. In Proc. of the 7th international conference on the practice and theory of automated timetabling (PATAT 2008).
Burke, E. K., & Newall, J. P. (2004). Solving examination timetabling problems through adaption of heuristic orderings. Annals of Operations Research, 129(1–4), 107–134.
Burke, E. K., Jackson, K., Kingston, J. H., & Weare, R. (1997). Automated university timetabling: The state of the art. The computer Journal, 40(9), 565–571.
Burke, E. K., McCollum, B., McMullan, P., & Parkes, A. J. (2008). Multi-objective aspects of the examination timetabling competition track. In Proc. of the 7th international conference on the practice and theory of automated timetabling (PATAT 2008).
Burke, E. K., Mareček, J., Parkes, A. J., & Rudová, H. (2012). A branch-and-cut procedure for the Udine course timetabling problem. Annals of Operations Research, 194(1), 71–87.
Carlier, J., Clautiaux, F., & Moukrim, A. (2007). New reduction procedures and lower bounds for the two-dimensional bin packing problem with fixed orientation. Computers & Operations Research, 34(8), 2223–2250.
Clements, D. P., & Joslin, D. (1999). Squeaky wheel optimization. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, 10, 353–370.
De Smet, G. (2008). Itc 2007-examination track. In Proc. of the 7th international conference on the practice and theory of automated timetabling (PATAT 2008).
Demeester, P., Bilgin, B., Causmaecker, P., & Berghe, G. (2012). A hyperheuristic approach to examination timetabling problems: Benchmarks and a new problem from practice. Journal of Scheduling, 15(1), 83–103.
Dueck, G. (1993). New optimization heuristics: The great deluge algorithm and the record-to-record travel. Journal of Computational Physics, 104(1), 86–92.
Fonseca, G. H. G., Santos, H. G. (2013). A new integer linear programming formulation to the examination timetabling problem. In The 6th multidisciplinary international conference on scheduling: theory and applications (Mista 2013), (pp 345–355) Gent, Belgium:.
Gogos, C., Alefragis, P., & Housos, E. (2012). An improved multi-staged algorithmic process for the solution of the examination timetabling problem. Annals of Operations Research, 194, 203–221.
IBM. Cplex User’s Manual, 2012.
McCollum, B., McMullan, P., Burke, E. K., Parkes, A. J. & Qu, R. (2007). The second international timetabling competition: Examination timetabling track. Technical Report QUB/IEEE/Tech/ITC2007/Exam/v4.0, Belfast:Queen’s University.
McCollum, B., McMullan, P., Parkes, A., Burke, E. K. & Abdullah, S. (2009). An extended great deluge approach to the examination timetabling problem. In Proceedings of the 4th multidisciplinary international scheduling: Theory and applications 2009 (MISTA 2009), (pp 424–434) Dublin, Ireland:.
McCollum, B., Schaerf, A., Paechter, B., McMullan, P., Lewis, R., Parkes, A. J., et al. (2010). Setting the research agenda in automated timetabling: The second international timetabling competition. INFORMS Journal on Computing, 22(1), 120–130.
McCollum, B., McMullan, P., Parkes, A., Burke, E. K., & Rong, Q. (2012). A new model for automated examination timetabling. Annals of Operations Research, 194, 291–315.
Müller, T. (2009). ITC2007 solver description: A hybrid approach. Annals of Operations Research, 172, 429–446.
Östergård., P. R. (2002). A fast algorithm for the maximum clique problem. Discrete Applied Mathematics, 120(1–3), 197–207.
Parkes, A. J., & Özcan, E. (2010). Properties of yeditepe examination timetabling benchmark instances. In Proceedings of the 8th international conference on the practice and theory of automated timetabling (PATAT 2010).
Pillay, N. (2008). A developmental approach to the examination timetabling problem. In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on the practice and theory of automated timetabling (PATAT 2008).
Qu, R., Burke, E., McCollum, B., Merlot, L. T., & Lee, S. Y. (2009). A survey of search methodologies and automated system development for examination timetabling. Journal of Scheduling, 12(1), 55–89.
Rahman, S. A., Bargiela, A., Burke, E. K., Ö-zcan, E., McCollum, B., & McMullan, P. (2014). Adaptive linear combination of heuristic orderings in constructing examination timetables. European Journal of Operational Research, 232(2), 287–297.
Sabar, N. R., Ayob, M., Qu, R., & Kendall, G. (2012). A graph coloring constructive hyper-heuristic for examination timetabling problems. Applied Intelligence, 37(1), 1–11.
Schaerf, A. (1999). A survey of automated timetabling. Artificial Intelligence Review, 13(2), 87–127.
Soghier, A., & Qu, R. (2013). Adaptive selection of heuristics for assigning time slots and rooms in exam timetables. Artificial Intelligence Review, 39(2), 438–450.
Turabieh, H., & Abdullah, S. (2011). An integrated hybrid approach to the examination timetabling problem. Omega, 39(6), 598–607.
Acknowledgments
This work was carried out in the framework of the Labex MS2T, which was funded by the French Government, through the program “Investments for the future” managed by the National Agency for Research (Reference ANR-11-IDEX-0004-02). We would also like to thank the referees for their insightful comments that helped us improve the quality of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Arbaoui, T., Boufflet, JP. & Moukrim, A. Preprocessing and an improved MIP model for examination timetabling. Ann Oper Res 229, 19–40 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-015-1832-6
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-015-1832-6