Nonlinear Integer Programming Model for Solving Examination Timetable Problem

الملخص

Educational timetabling is a crucial administrative task in most universities, often divided into course timetabling and examination timetabling problems. This work aims to develop a mathematical model that constructs an effective examination schedule for students in the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department at Benghazi University, Libya. The model includes extra constraints to avoid scheduling conflicts between courses of adjacent semesters, offering students increased flexibility during the enrollment process. A 0-1 nonlinear integer programming approach is utilized to assign sets of IE courses to a fixed number of time slots and rooms. This model was applied to four semesters: Fall 2016/2017, Fall 2017/2018, Spring 2017/2018, and Spring 2019/2020. Results indicate that the proposed model successfully reduces enrollment restrictions from three to two, offering students more options in course registration.