Case Article—Class Scheduling with Linear Programming

Abstract

This paper describes “Kelly’s Class Scheduling” case that illustrates a real-life application that is understandable to undergraduate business students in an introductory management science course. Given available courses, their meeting times, and ratings of the course sections, we show how to use a simple integer program to find an optimal class schedule. The case analysis is followed by an optional “Make Your Own Schedule” assignment where students formulate their own class schedule using a similar approach. This case-and-assignment combination offers several benefits. It provides an interesting example that students can identify with and is simple enough for inexperienced students to grasp in a relatively short time. It helps students develop appreciation for optimization methods by applying them immediately in their own life and lets students experience the entire process of quantitative modeling including problem definition, data collection, model formulation, model solution, and implementation. Case Teaching Note: Interested Instructors please see the Instructor Materials page for access to the restricted materials. To maintain the integrity and usefulness of cases published in ITE, unapproved distribution of the case teaching notes and other restricted materials to any other party is prohibited.