­New publication in the Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research: Optimization Approaches for Timetabling at Project-Oriented Schools

A new article by Michael Hölscher and Maria Beranek titled “Integrated and Decomposition-Based Solution Approaches for Project-Oriented School Timetabling” has been published in the Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research. The study examines class scheduling at project-oriented schools, using the University School of Dresden as a case study.

Project-oriented learning concepts enable individualized learning paths and flexible learning groups, but they also pose unique challenges for timetable planning. In addition to students’ project preferences, factors such as group sizes, classrooms, teacher availability, and supervision requirements must all be taken into account simultaneously. To address this, the authors develop a mixed-integer linear optimization model that integrates student-project assignments, room scheduling, and teacher supervision. In addition, various decomposition approaches are examined, in which the individual planning steps are separated from one another in a step-by-step manner.

The results show that the fully integrated approach delivers very good solutions for small and medium-sized problem instances but quickly reaches computational limits for larger instances. In particular, a decomposition approach with an additional improvement step proves to be promising: It achieves a solution quality comparable to that of the more highly integrated approaches, yet significantly reduces the required computation time and delivers high-quality solutions even for large instances within a few minutes. The study thus demonstrates how mathematical optimization can help make flexible and individualized school concepts organizationally feasible.

Reference:
Hölscher, M. & Beranek, M. (2026). Integrated and Decomposition-Based Solution Approaches for Project-Oriented School Timetabling. Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, 78, Article 15. Link