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The assembly line balancing problem is a classical optimisation problem whose objective is to assign each production task to one of the stations on the assembly line so that the total efficiency of the line is maximized. This study proposes a novel hybrid method to solve the simple version of the problem in which the number of stations is fixed, a problem known as SALBP-2. The hybrid differs from previous approaches by encoding individuals of a genetic algorithm as instances of a modified problem that contains only a subset of the solutions to the original formulation. These individuals are decoded to feasible solutions of the original problem during fitness evaluation in which the resolution of the modified problem is conducted using a dynamic programming based approach that uses new bounds to reduce its state space. Computational experiments show the efficiency of the method as it is able to obtain several new best-known solutions for some of the benchmark instances used in the literature for comparison purposes.

The highly diverse cultural and social backgrounds of students from around the world, in this case, from Spanish-speaking countries, has driven a redesign of traditional, f2f (face-to-face) Master's programs in a business school, leading to a blended learning format. Identifying how much time is needed to reach the optimum quality level, looking at mirror (compared) with the f2f is essential for the process of improving overall teaching and optimal use of blended strategies. A satisfaction survey was administered and data was analyzed using the Mann Whitney test. How many editions does it take to obtain the best quality level? How do the different quality factors evolve over time? And how is the comparison with f2f program's evolution over time? Some unexpected results were found, including that, when compared to f2f programs, general satisfaction was statistically higher in the blended modality even from the first edition, and waiting until the second edition shows higher results in almost all of the factors considered. Comparing different editions of the same blended program, the highest level of improvement in the perception of quality occurs when comparing the first and third edition. In this comparison, the most essential factors are those involving people: professors and students. This research provides valuable insights for institutions and/ or faculty members who are considering or currently offering online or blended learning.