A MultiAgent Architecture for Distributed Course Timetabling
Luca Di Gaspero  , Stefano Mizzaro  , and Andrea Schaerf

Abstract

The course timetabling problem consists in scheduling a set of lec-tures in a cyclic fixed period of time, typically a week. We consider the course timetabling problem for a set of university departments, in which each department prepares the schedule for its curricula according to private rules, constraints, and objectives, and relying on own resources. Resources are not common property, but departments could negotiate in order to share and/or exchange them for mu-tual benefits. For this problem, we propose a multiagent scheduling system based on a market-place and an artificial currency. In this framework, each department has a team of three cooperating agents, which are responsible for different tasks: searching for a local solution, negotiating resources with other departments, and managing relevant information. To prove the effectiveness of the architecture, we present an experimental analysis that shows the benefits in the real situation of our institution.