Forming student groups with student preferences using constraint logic programming

Abstract

Forming student groups must be carefully planned for a successful collaborative work. Since there is no consensus in the literature and in practice as to the strategy and parameters to use, a strategy that takes the teachers’ and the students’ perspectives was developed in this preliminary study. Furthermore, a program based on this strategy was also written using Constraint Logic Programming (CLP). The parameters and conditions to use were obtained through a faculty survey and student interviews. Based on the results, the faculty does not regard teammate preferences as important while students prefer that these are given the utmost consideration. Thus, cohorts produced are not only evaluated based on satisfied constraints but also on satisfied teammate preferences. Hence, the study demonstrates not only that CLP can be applied in the field of computer supported group formation but also that a grouping strategy can both include parameter constraints and teammate preferences.