In this paper we present a general integer programming-based approach for the minimal perturbation problem in university course timetabling. This problem arises when an existing timetable contains hard constraint violations, or infeasibilities, which need to be resolved. The objective is to resolve these infeasibilities while minimising the disruption or perturbation to the remainder of the timetable. This situation commonly occurs in practical timetabling, for example when there are unexpected changes to course enrolments or available rooms. Our method attempts to resolve each infeasibility in the smallest neighbourhood possible, by utilising the exactness of integer programming. Operating within a neighbourhood of minimal size keeps the computations fast, and does not permit large movements of course events, which cause widespread disruption to timetable structure. We demonstrate the application of this method using examples based on real data from the University of Auckland.

In this paper we present an integer programming method for solving the Classroom Assignment Problem in University Course Timetabling. We introduce a novel formulation of the problem which generalises existing models and maintains tractability even for large instances. The model is validated through computational results based on our experiences at the University of Auckland, and on instances from the 2007 International Timetabling Competition. We also expand upon existing results into the computational difficulty of room assignment problems.