Generating class schedules within a complex modular environment with application to secondary schools

Westside High School (WHS) of Omaha, Nebraska utilizes a sophisticated scheduling environment called “modular scheduling.” Modular scheduling empowers teachers with the ability to design the structure of their classes by adjusting the frequency, duration, and location of each of their lessons. This...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of scheduling 2015-08, Vol.18 (4), p.369-376
Main Authors: Muggy, Luke, Easton, Todd
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Artificial Intelligence
Business and Management
Calculus of Variations and Optimal Control
Optimization
Computer programming
Computer programs
Experimentation
Heuristic
Heuristics
Integer programming
Meetings
Modular
Operations Research/Decision Theory
Optimization
Schedules
Scheduling
School schedules
Secondary schools
Students
Studies
Supply Chain Management
Teachers
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Summary:Westside High School (WHS) of Omaha, Nebraska utilizes a sophisticated scheduling environment called “modular scheduling.” Modular scheduling empowers teachers with the ability to design the structure of their classes by adjusting the frequency, duration, and location of each of their lessons. This paper presents a novel heuristic methodology, implemented as a computer program called the sequential modular algorithmic routines for timetabling (SMART) Scheduler, which creates cohesive modular class schedules using effective techniques such as ejection trees and student sectioning. In experimentation, the SMART Scheduler is able to schedule over 2,800 distinct lessons in less than 4 s using data provided by WHS. This paper describes algorithms within the SMART Scheduler as well as computational results of its implementation.
ISSN:1094-6136
1099-1425
DOI:10.1007/s10951-014-0403-z