Assigning classes to teachers in universities via mathematical modelling: Using beam search method and simulation in java

Abstract

In universities, before the beginning of each school year, it is held the distribution of classes among the available teachers. For such task, different constraints must be fulfilled like preventing a teacher to teach in two different places at the same time and avoid solutions in which some teachers have more class hours than others. This process, if performed manually, is time consuming and does not allow viewing other combinations of assignment of classes to teachers. In addition, it is subject to error. This study aims to develop a decision support tool for the problem of assigning teachers to classes in universities. The project includes the development of a computer program using the concepts of object orientation as a way to implement a search algorithm called Beam Search which explores the combinatorial nature of the problem. The programming language used is Java and the program has a graphical interface for insertion and manipulation of the relevant data. © 2013 DIME UNIVERSITÀ DI GENOVA.