A Multiobjective Optimisation Technique for Exam Timetabling Based on Trajectories

The most common approach to multiobjective examination timetabling is the weighted sum aggregation of all criteria into one cost function and application of some single-objective metaheuristic. However, the translation of user preferences into the weights of criteria is a sophisticated task, which requires experience on the part of the user, especially for problems with a high number of criteria. Moreover, the results produced by this technique are usually substantially scattered. Thus, the outcome of weighted sum algorithms is often far from user expectation.