Bi-Criteria Simulated Annealing Algorithms for the Robust University Course Timetabling Problem

Abstract

A bi-criteria version of the curriculum-based university timetabling problem of ITC-2007 is solved using a multi-objective simulated annealing (MOSA) algorithm that identifies an approximation to the optimal Pareto front. The two criteria are the penalty function as defined in ITC-2007 and a robustness function. The robustness function assumes one disruption occurs in the form of a period of an event (lecture) becoming infeasible for that event. The parameters of the MOSA algorithm are set using the Iterated FRace algorithm and then its performance is tested against a hybrid MOGA algorithm developed by the authors. The results show that MOSA provides better approximation fronts than the hybrid MOGA.