An empirical comparison of heuristic methods for creating maximally diverse groups

Abstract

This research identifies, describes, and empirically contrasts five heuristics for forming maximally diverse groups of any specified size from a given population. Diversity is based upon multiple criteria specified by the decision maker. The problem has immediate application in academic or training settings where it may be desired to create class sections, or project groups within classes, such that students are immersed in a diverse environment. Furthermore this research has an even broader utility, as the problem is mathematically identical to an eclectic set of applications ranging from final exam scheduling to VLSI design. Here we consider five different heuristics, drawn from student-workgroup assignment and final exam scheduling applications. The methods are tested on a ‘real-world’ data set and evaluated on the criteria of solution quality and computational resources.

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