A Mathematical Optimization Model for Allocating Semester Weeks to Students of Different Disciplines in Coronary-Living Conditions

Many of the world's top universities have already decided to hold the next semester with e-teaching. In Iran, too, the forecasts show a red situation for some areas in terms of corona prevalence. Also, several university students live in these areas. In planning the next semester, therefore, more focus should be on e-teaching. According to the instructions of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in Iran, education should be implemented in two parts, including e-teaching and face-to-face training. In face-to-face education with the needs of the educational space, students are divided into disciplines so that the implementation of health protocols in the university and educational space is possible. For this purpose, in this research, a mathematical optimization model is presented to allocate semester weeks to students of different disciplines in coronary-living conditions.

In this paper, to determine specific weeks for students of different disciplines during the semester in face-to-face education, a mathematical optimization model is proposed in the form of nonlinear programming with integer variables. In the objective function of the model, the distribution of students in the educational space during consecutive weeks during the semester should be done in such a way that it has the maximum possible dispersion to prevent the spread of coronary heart disease.

This model has been implemented to allocate semester weeks to students of different majors at universities, in general, and its use has brought positive results for decision-makers, particularly at Allameh Tabataba’i University.

The results obtained from the implementation and execution of the model will bring a clear and positive perspective for decision-makers in universities. To continue this research, another optimization model should be designed and implemented for each faculty, taking into account the limitations of each department