Agent based approach to University Timetabling Problem

A concept of agent-based approach to timetabling problem is presented. Based on the problem description and with its formalization the term “agent” is introduced. Agents act on behalf of entities taking part in the timetabling process (activities, rooms and students) and they interact to maximize their own utility. Also a brief overview of existing approaches is presented. 1. University Timetabling Problem At the typical university students attend various courses (activities). These activities take place in designated rooms with some equipment and a maximum capacity. Some activities require dedicated equipment (e.g. beamers, oscilloscopes, etc.) available only in several rooms (like labs). Students attend activities they enrolled on. It would be also preferable if a constructed timetable reflected students’ preferences (e.g. to time). On the other hand, the enrolment is guarded by some formal criterion (like paying the tuition or finishing prerequisite courses). The university timetabling problem (UTP) can be defined as follows: having the set of defined timeslots, the set of available rooms and the list of activities to be planned, the aim is to assign activities to rooms in particular timeslots in such a way that activities take place in properly equipped rooms and all the students have a possibility to attend their classes. To be more precise: – every student attends no more than one activity at any timeslot, – no more than one activity takes place in any room at any timeslot, – every student may attend his or her classes – ach activity takes place in a room with appropriate equipment – at any time no more students than the maximum capacity of a room attend a course. E-mail address: [email protected] Pobrane z czasopisma Annales AIInformatica http://ai.annales.umcs.pl Data: 26/10/2017 05:21:10