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.