Simulated Annealing Algorithm for the Examinations Timetabling Problem
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Date
2007-12
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Publisher
African Journal of Science and Technology (AJST)
Abstract
Examination scheduling is a very important process in Educational Institutions. The
main challenge is to assign examinations to timeslots and rooms over a fixed period of time while
satisfying a set of constraints on both candidates and invigilators. The problem becomes even more
difficult when student number rises and student choice widens which makes automated system a
necessary tool. The problem varies in detail from Institution to Institution. Thus any generic approach
may not be able to capture sufficiently the characteristics of specific problems. This paper reports
the design of an algorithm for the Examinations Timetabling Problem at University of Dar es
salaam, based on a Simulated Annealing heuristic. We have been able to solve an existing problem
and show that the automated system performs better and faster than the manually generated solution.
Description
Keywords
Timetabling, Simulated Annealing, Optimization, Scheduling