Course Scheduling System Based On Particle Swarm Design And Implementation

Course arraying, a multi-objective and combinational optimization problem with constraints, is proved to be a NP complete problem. How to make use of various existing technologies to make course arraying automatic, scientific and rational, to improve using rate of resource as well as to make teachers and students more satisfied with course arraying, has become one of issues related to teaching management among higher schools, which needs to be urgently solved.As an evolutional computing technology based on swam intellectual method, particle swam optimization (PSO), is an optimization algorithm first proposed by Dr. Kennedy, a psychological researcher, and Dr. Eberhart, working on computing intelligent research, after their getting inspiration of research results on artificial life and evolutional computing. PSO algorithm is simple, easily achieved and at the same time has profound intelligent background, not only for scientific research but particularly for engineering applications.Therefore, as soon as PSO algorithm was proposed, it was rapidly recognized in the field of international evolution computing research within a short time and got more extensive attentions. A great number of research achievements come forth within more than a decade to make it a current hot research in computing intelligent area.At first probing deeply course arraying, the paper, makes a detailed analysis of its state of research at home and abroad, describes relevant factors including teachers, classrooms, course, classes as well as constraints in detail, providing a reasonable mathematical model for course arrangement. The paper then introduces the theory and process of PSO algorithm with emphasis on summarizing research state of discrete particles swam in recent years and provides several ways of computing typical discrete particles, based on which it is analyzed the application of discrete particle swam algorithm in course arraying system so as to provide a way to array courses on the basis of concept of discrete particle swam. Eventually, the paper designs course arraying system in a detailed way, directed at specific requirements. And the course arraying system based on discrete particle swam algorithm was realized by use of C# language in Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. It also makes some evaluations on the system according to class course schedules among three different schools for a half academic year so as to test the number of particle swarms how to affect its algorithm performance, different data for course arraying how to influence the system performance and to test the advantages and disadvantages of performances for the class course schedules made by system and by manual work in given criterions. The test results demonstrate PSO algorithm not only solves the difficult problem which is complicated in the system of course arraying among higher schools, but also enables its process intelligent, humane, verifying the availability of the system as well.