Fall 2026

First Semester Chinese

First Semester Chinese introduces the sounds, basic grammar, and 400 characters of standard spoken Chinese.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Tianlu Zhang4.2/5Shuyang Ye3.9/5Yaqian Zhao +1 more

Summary

1 / 6

The course is vocab-heavy and requires strict attendance, as missing lectures can negatively impact performance. Students report significant homework loads typical for language classes.

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Not open to students with credit forASIALANG 111(or E ASIAN 101 or 122 prior to Fall 2019)

  • not eligible with
ASIALANG 101 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Not eligible with

Professors

Fall 2026

Tianlu Zhang

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.94/5 from 17 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.9/5 raw quality · 2.3/5 difficulty · 11 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Tianlu Zhang is consistently praised as caring, accessible, and effective, with students noting her willingness to answer questions and stay after class. Reviewers highlight her clear lesson plans, good lecture slides, and supportive environment for beginners, though one student warns that strict attendance is necessary due to the vocab-heavy nature of the course.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.74 GPA, 91.0% A/AB (n=78 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.65 GPA, 79.7% A/AB (n=79 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.76 GPA, 87.5% A/AB (n=80 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 5 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

TIANLU ZHANG is recorded teaching in Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction19 / 250
LEC 002Classroom Instruction23 / 250
LEC 003Classroom Instruction20 / 250
LEC 004Classroom Instruction23 / 250

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Tianlu Zhang is a caring and accessible instructor who fosters a supportive environment for beginners. Reviewers highlight her willingness to answer questions and her genuine interest in student success.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.74 GPA, 91.0% A/AB (n=78 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.65 GPA, 79.7% A/AB (n=79 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.76 GPA, 87.5% A/AB (n=80 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course is vocab-heavy and requires strict attendance, as missing lectures can negatively impact performance. Students report significant homework loads typical for language classes.

The class utilizes partner-based practice and clear lecture slides that break down language structure. Reviewers praise the slides and the instructor's ability to explain language components.

Topics

  • Sounds of standard spoken Chinese
  • Basic grammar
  • 400 Chinese characters

Skills

  • Beginner-level communication skills in everyday life

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Fall 2025

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1320 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
ASIALANG 101 · Fall 2026

First Semester Chinese

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:186:025096",
    "course_id": "ASIALANG 101",
    "course_uid": "course_17bf3b70b9a5537665bb3f04",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "025096",
    "source_subject_id": "186",
    "title": "First Semester Chinese",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "b53a9a181f89e8d26c3bce8ee8b42d5962a00bf08c6d4cf99c442b3866a37cfe",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}