A Memetic Algorithm for Course Timetabling

Course timetabling consists in scheduling a sequence of lectures while satisfying various constraints. In this paper, we develop and study the performance of a memetic algorithm, designed to solve a variant of the course timetabling problem. Our aim here is twofold: to develop a competitive algorithm, and to investigate, more generally, the applicability of evolutionary algorithms to timetabling. To this end, an algorithm is first introduced and tested using a benchmark set. Comparison with other algorithms shows that our algorithm achieves better results in some, but not all instances, signifying strong and weak points. Subsequently, more comprehensive analyses are performed in relation with another evolutionary algorithm that uses strictly group-based operators. Ultimately, empirical results and analyses lead us to question the exclusive use of group-based evolutionary operators for timetabling problems.