A practical three‐phase ILP approach for solving the examination timetabling problem

Abstract

AbstractA practical mathematical programming based approach is introduced for solving the examination timetabling problem at the German Jordanian University (GJU), whereby the complex process of acquiring a feasible examination timetable is simplified by subdividing it into three smaller sub‐problems (phases). Accordingly, the exams are initially allocated to time slots in phase one, the time slots are then allotted to days in phase two, and finally in phase three the exams are assigned to rooms based on the number of students taking each exam and capacities of the rooms. The solution for each phase is acquired based on an integer linear programming (ILP) formulation, while satisfying a set of hard constraints that ensure comfortable exam timetables for all students and meet the desired requirements set by GJU administrative staff. Furthermore, the solver can be controlled and launched from a student information system named MyGJU Admin, which enabled registrars at the university to easily, quickly, and accurately generate final exam timetables in several standard formats. Moreover, the approach was validated based on recent GJU registration information as well as real‐world benchmark data.