860 research outputs found

    Aspects of computerised timetabling

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    This research considers the problem of constructing high school timetables using a computer. In the majority of high schools, termly or yearly timetables are still being produced manually. Constructing a timetable is a hard and time consuming task which is carried out repeatedly thus a computer program for assisting with this problem would be of great value. This study is in three parts. First. an overall analysis of the problem is undertaken to provide background knowledge and to identify basic principles in the construction of a school timetable. The characteristics of timetabling problems are identified and the necessary data for the construction of a timetable is identified. The first part ends with the production of a heuristic model for generating an initial solution that satisfies all the hard constraints embodied in the curriculum requirements. The second stage of the research is devoted to designing a heuristic model for solving a timetable problem with hard and medium constraints. These include constraints like the various numbers of common periods, double periods and reducing the repeated allocation of a subject within any day. The approaches taken are based on two recently developed techniques, namely tabu search and simulated annealing. Both of these are used and comparisons of their efficiency are provided. The comparison is based on the percentage fulfilment of the hard and medium requirements. The third part is devoted to one of the most difficult areas in timetable construction, that is the softer requirements which are specific to particular schools and whose satisfaction is not seen as essential. This section describes the development of an expert system based on heuristic production rules to satisfy a range of soft requirements. The soft requirements are studied and recorded as rules and a heuristic solution is produced for each of the general requirements. Different levels of rule are developed, from which the best possible solution to a particular timetable problem is expertly produced. Finally, possible extensions of the proposed method and its application to other types of the timetabling problem are discussed

    Travel Demand Growth: Research on Longer-Term Issues. The Potential Contribution of Trip Planning Systems

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    INTRODUCTION 1.1 The growth in demand for travel Over the 20 years hm 1965, National Travel Survey (NTS) data shows a 61% growth in total person - km of travel. More detailed analysis suggests that this is made up roughly as follows:- due to increased population 4% due to more journeys 22% due to longer journeys 35% This implies that around 60% of the growth in travel has been due to people travelling further, rather than making more journeys. It is interesting to note, too, that the same phenomenon occurs even in the most congested areas. Between 1975 and 1985, NTS shows an 11% growth in person -km by London residents, at a time when population fell by 5%. In this case, the growth is made up roughly as follows:- due to lost population -5% due to more journeys 4% due to longer journeys 12% It is of course difficult to estimate the extent to which future growth in travel will be generated by longer journeys. The NRTF, which predicts a growth in car-km of between 120% and 180% between 1985 and 2025, is not based on a procedure which enables the effects of journey making and journey length to be separated. However, it is worth noting that if the same pattern were to exist at a national level in future, the predicted growth in car travel due to longer journeys could be equivalent to between 75% and 100% of today's car travel. It seems appropriate to ask whether it is a wise use of scarce resources to provide the infrastructure and energy needed to enable people to carry out their activities further from home. (Continues...

    Curriculum-based course timetabling with student flow, soft constraints, and smoothing objectives: an application to a real case study

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    This paper deals with curriculum-based course timetabling. In particular, we describe the results of a real application at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata.” In this regard, we developed a multi-objective mixed-integer model which attempts to optimize (i) the flow produced by the students enrolled in the lectures, (ii) soft conflicts produced by the possible overlap among compulsory and non-compulsory courses, and (iii) the number of lecture hours per curriculum within the weekdays. The model has been implemented and solved by means of a commercial solver and experiments show that the model is able to provide satisfactory solutions as compared with the real scenario under consideration

    A time predefined variable depth search for nurse rostering

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    This paper presents a variable depth search for the nurse rostering problem. The algorithm works by chaining together single neighbourhood swaps into more effective compound moves. It achieves this by using heuristics to decide whether to continue extending a chain and which candidates to examine as the next potential link in the chain. Because end users vary in how long they are willing to wait for solutions, a particular goal of this research was to create an algorithm that accepts a user specified computational time limit and uses it effectively. When compared against previously published approaches the results show that the algorithm is very competitive

    An evaluation of the implementation of the Ni curriculum in post-primary schools 1998-1999

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    Reducing the Cost of Technical and Vocational Education

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    Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

    Management of educational innovation : the case of computer aided administration

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    This thesis is concerned with the process of managing an educational innovation - computer-aided administration (CAA) for schools. From literature reviews in the areas of management of change and computer assisted school administration, together with findings from an observer case study in the United Kingdom, a model was generated for the CAA innovation process as a contribution to theory. The model was then put into practice as the framework for the CAA innovation process in a secondary school in Hong Kong. The innovation was successfully assimilated by the school in a period of about three years with the researcher acting as the change facilitator, and the model of the innovation process was subsequently refined. This refined "SIX-A" model it is hoped will be a contribution to practical change management. Before making conclusions, findings about the process of innovation as well as findings specific to CAA from the case school are compared and contrasted to data collected from three other schools' CAA innovations in Hong Kong

    Master index: volumes 31–40

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    Havering College of Further and Higher Education: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 72/94 and 05/98)

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    Comprises two Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) inspection reports for the periods 1993-94 and 1997-9
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