Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling

This paper proposes tackling the difficult course timetabling problem using a multi-agent approach. The proposed design seeks to deal with the problem using a distributed solution environment in which a mediator agent coordinates various timetabling agents that cooperate to improve a common global s...

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Main Authors: Obit, Joe Henry, Landa-Silva, Dario, Ouelhadj, Djamila, Khan Vun, Teong, Alfred, Rayner
Format: Conference or Workshop Item
Published: IEEE press 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32606/
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author Obit, Joe Henry
Landa-Silva, Dario
Ouelhadj, Djamila
Khan Vun, Teong
Alfred, Rayner
author_facet Obit, Joe Henry
Landa-Silva, Dario
Ouelhadj, Djamila
Khan Vun, Teong
Alfred, Rayner
author_sort Obit, Joe Henry
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description This paper proposes tackling the difficult course timetabling problem using a multi-agent approach. The proposed design seeks to deal with the problem using a distributed solution environment in which a mediator agent coordinates various timetabling agents that cooperate to improve a common global solution. Initial timetables provided to the multi-agent system are generated using several hybrid heuristics that combine graph colouring heuristics and local search in different ways. The hybrid heuristics are capable of generating feasible timetables for all instances of the two sets of benchmark problems used here. We discuss how these initialisation hybrid heuristics can be incorporated into the proposed multi-agent approach in order to conduct distributed timetabling. This preliminary work serves as a solid basis towards the design of an effective multi-agent distributed timetabling system.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T19:16:21Z
format Conference or Workshop Item
id nottingham-32606
institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T19:16:21Z
publishDate 2011
publisher IEEE press
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling nottingham-326062020-05-04T20:23:00Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32606/ Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling Obit, Joe Henry Landa-Silva, Dario Ouelhadj, Djamila Khan Vun, Teong Alfred, Rayner This paper proposes tackling the difficult course timetabling problem using a multi-agent approach. The proposed design seeks to deal with the problem using a distributed solution environment in which a mediator agent coordinates various timetabling agents that cooperate to improve a common global solution. Initial timetables provided to the multi-agent system are generated using several hybrid heuristics that combine graph colouring heuristics and local search in different ways. The hybrid heuristics are capable of generating feasible timetables for all instances of the two sets of benchmark problems used here. We discuss how these initialisation hybrid heuristics can be incorporated into the proposed multi-agent approach in order to conduct distributed timetabling. This preliminary work serves as a solid basis towards the design of an effective multi-agent distributed timetabling system. IEEE press 2011-12 Conference or Workshop Item PeerReviewed Obit, Joe Henry, Landa-Silva, Dario, Ouelhadj, Djamila, Khan Vun, Teong and Alfred, Rayner (2011) Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling. In: Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE Hybrid Intelligent Systems Conference (IEEE-HIS 2011), 5-8 December 2011, Melacca, Malaysia. course timetabling heuristics metaheuristics intelligent multi-agents http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=6122088
spellingShingle course timetabling
heuristics metaheuristics
intelligent multi-agents
Obit, Joe Henry
Landa-Silva, Dario
Ouelhadj, Djamila
Khan Vun, Teong
Alfred, Rayner
Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title_full Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title_fullStr Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title_full_unstemmed Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title_short Designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
title_sort designing a multi-agent approach system for distributed course timetabling
topic course timetabling
heuristics metaheuristics
intelligent multi-agents
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32606/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32606/