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To keep the landscape smoother, we want the constraint functions to
return more gradual results. For example, spring semester we added a
constraint to deter the system from placing new students with
returning students, as suggested by Area Coordinator Rob Burford, who
often saw this happen with subsequent room changes. The first_timer constraint returns the difference in the consecutive
semesters between first-timers and old-timers. The more senior the
old-timers, the worse the grade for the first-timers - this is more
desireable than just counting the old-timers for example, because it
is less discrete. A relatively small coefficient sufficed for this
constraint to have the desired effect.
elena s ackley
2002-01-20
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