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Multi-neighbourhood simulated annealing for the ITC-2007 capacitated examination timetabling problem

Author

Listed:
  • David Van Bulck

    (Ghent University
    Flanders-Make@UGent - core lab CVAMO)

  • Dries Goossens

    (Ghent University
    Flanders-Make@UGent - core lab CVAMO)

  • Andrea Schaerf

    (University of Udine)

Abstract

We propose a multi-neighbourhood simulated annealing algorithm for the ITC-2007 version of the capacitated examination timetabling problem. The proposed solver is based on a combination of existing as well as newly proposed neighbourhoods that better exploit the disconnected structure of the underlying conflict graph and that explicitly deal with the assignment of exams to rooms. We use a principled tuning procedure to determine the parameters of the algorithm and assess the contribution of the various neighbourhoods by means of an ablation analysis. The resulting algorithm is able to compete with existing state-of-the-art solvers and finds several new best solutions for a variety of well-known problem instances.

Suggested Citation

  • David Van Bulck & Dries Goossens & Andrea Schaerf, 2025. "Multi-neighbourhood simulated annealing for the ITC-2007 capacitated examination timetabling problem," Journal of Scheduling, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 217-232, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jsched:v:28:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10951-023-00799-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10951-023-00799-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David S. Johnson & Cecilia R. Aragon & Lyle A. McGeoch & Catherine Schevon, 1989. "Optimization by Simulated Annealing: An Experimental Evaluation; Part I, Graph Partitioning," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 37(6), pages 865-892, December.
    2. Yuri Bykov & Sanja Petrovic, 2016. "A Step Counting Hill Climbing Algorithm applied to University Examination Timetabling," Journal of Scheduling, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 479-492, August.
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    4. Edmund K. Burke & Yuri Bykov, 2016. "An Adaptive Flex-Deluge Approach to University Exam Timetabling," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 28(4), pages 781-794, November.
    5. Barry McCollum & Andrea Schaerf & Ben Paechter & Paul McMullan & Rhyd Lewis & Andrew J. Parkes & Luca Di Gaspero & Rong Qu & Edmund K. Burke, 2010. "Setting the Research Agenda in Automated Timetabling: The Second International Timetabling Competition," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 120-130, February.
    6. Christos Gogos & Panayiotis Alefragis & Efthymios Housos, 2012. "An improved multi-staged algorithmic process for the solution of the examination timetabling problem," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 203-221, April.
    7. Chris Fawcett & Holger H. Hoos, 2016. "Analysing differences between algorithm configurations through ablation," Journal of Heuristics, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 431-458, August.
    8. Michele Battistutta & Andrea Schaerf & Tommaso Urli, 2017. "Feature-based tuning of single-stage simulated annealing for examination timetabling," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 252(2), pages 239-254, May.
    9. López-Ibáñez, Manuel & Dubois-Lacoste, Jérémie & Pérez Cáceres, Leslie & Birattari, Mauro & Stützle, Thomas, 2016. "The irace package: Iterated racing for automatic algorithm configuration," Operations Research Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 3(C), pages 43-58.
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