Solving Educational Timetabling Problems

The main purpose of this book is to propose a framework to deal with ETPs. To a certain degree, the proposed framework may be applied to any kind of ETP. However, it does not aim to provide a single detailed procedural step to solve all ETP, given that each ETP is unique. We show that at its core an ETP contains the same basic elements, which are usually hiding behind the various input formats. To do this, a number of ETPs are chosen and after conducting some necessary procedures, those basic elements can be extracted. A conclusion is drawn from this work that in most cases an ETP consists of the same recurring elements: events, resources, and constraints. The main task to be performed in an ETP is to assign resources to events taking into consideration the constraints posed to them. The set of constraints is the main element that distinguishes one ETP from another.The second objective is to propose a general approach to solve the problem. The last objective focuses on how to find solutions using the proposed form. We discuss two types of solutions to be sought using 4 steps procedures.