The course is described as difficult, with derivation-heavy lectures and tricky homework problems requiring Excel or Matlab. Exams are considered fair, and reviewers note that ample practice problems are provided to aid preparation.
“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Raw average: 5.00/5 from 13 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: 5.0/5 raw quality · 3.5/5 difficulty · 11
reviews
RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.
Reid Van Lehn is consistently praised for his deep knowledge, clear lectures, and approachability. Reviewers highlight his engaging teaching style and fairness in grading. While the course is challenging, students feel well-supported by his resources and office hours.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.08 GPA, 49.2% A/AB (n=63 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.01 GPA, 53.8% A/AB (n=52 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.01 GPA, 39.3% A/AB (n=56 letter grades).
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Historical reviews for Regina Murphy praise her clear, concept-focused lectures and exam-relevant explanations, though her homework is described as time-consuming and difficult.
ERIC SHUSTA is recorded teaching in Fall 2009, Spring 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2018, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
REGINA MURPHY is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Fall 2010, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Fall 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
REID VAN LEHN is recorded teaching in Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Fall 2024. 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.
Section
Mode
Enrolled / capacity
Waitlist
LEC 001
Classroom Instruction
69 / 73
0
DIS 302
Classroom Instruction
34 / 35
0
DIS 303
Classroom Instruction
35 / 35
0
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Reviewers describe Reid Van Lehn as knowledgeable, approachable, and engaging, noting his clear lectures and fair grading. Students report that while the course is challenging, he provides sufficient resources and support to help them succeed.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.03 GPA, 42.9% A/AB (n=35 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.01 GPA, 34.7% A/AB (n=49 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.66 GPA, 34.0% A/AB (n=47 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
The course is described as difficult, with derivation-heavy lectures and tricky homework problems requiring Excel or Matlab. Exams are considered fair, and reviewers note that ample practice problems are provided to aid preparation.
Students appreciate Van Lehn’s clear, interesting lectures and supplemental notes. One reviewer found group discussions unhelpful and noted that homework required significant computational work, while others valued the professor's availability and care for student learning.
Topics
Properties of ideal and non-ideal vapors and liquids
Multicomponent vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibria
Complex chemical reaction equilibria
Electrolytic solutions
Surface thermodynamics
Solid phase thermodynamics
Skills
Analyzing properties of ideal and non-ideal vapors and liquids.
Calculating multicomponent vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid equilibria.
Determining complex chemical reaction equilibria.
Applying thermodynamics to electrolytic, surface, and solid phases.
Grades
Historical instructor
Fall 2026 · Projected
Before grades are released
2.802.80–3.273.27average GPA
Approximate 80% prediction interval
0.04.0
About this estimate
The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.
The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.
8 earlier forecasts · 0.05 GPA average error.
Grades over time
Through Fall 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Where this course fits relative to
Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels
2.662.66GPA
Higher than 11% of other courses
in this group.
Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range
4747letter grades
More recorded grades than 3131% of other courses in this group.
Typical course in this group: 66.066.0 letter grades.
About this comparison
1283 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.