Authors : Yang Xiao Fei, Masri Ayob, Mohd Zakree Ahmad Nazri and Zulkifli Ahmad
Abstract: An examination timetabling problem at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia is a real world problem with additional constraints such as large-enrollment examinations whose number of students is greater than the size of the largest available room which is not considered in the benchmark datasets (e.g., the ITC 2007 datasets). In this research, researchers propose a hierarchical graph colouring heuristic to construct a feasible examination timetable for this practical problem. The heuristic will first schedule the examinations with more constraints such as large enrollment, specific timeslot or rooms. Followed by the examinations with less constraints that will be scheduled into timeslots and rooms by implementing a basic largest degree with large enrollment heuristic and a two-step backtracking procedure. The examinations are assigned to rooms based on room priority. This heuristic will also be tested on benchmark datasets (e.g., the ITC 2007 datasets) to evaluate its effectiveness. Computational results shows that the proposed heuristic is efficient to generate a feasible solution for this practical problem and the benchmark problem.
Yang Xiao Fei, Masri Ayob, Mohd Zakree Ahmad Nazri and Zulkifli Ahmad, 2013. A Hierarchical Approach for Assigning Examinations to Timeslots and Rooms: A Case Study. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 8: 69-72.