Spring 2027

Organic Chemistry I

Organic Chemistry I covers molecular structure and bonding to predict reactivity of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides, alcohols, and thiols, emphasizing stereochemical and regiochemical outcomes.

offering recorded3 credits

Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Matt Bowman4.8/5 Kimberly Deglopper4.2/5 Helen Blackwell3.9/5

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Matt Bowman, Helen Blackwell

Students emphasized that completing practice exams and problem sets was essential for success. Helen Blackwell’s lectures were described as fast-paced, requiring note-taking and pre-class reading, while her homework was considered easier than the actual exams.

What you’ll be able to do

Construct and use a transition state rendering to explain how donor-acceptor interactions result in the stereochemical or regiochemical outcome observed for a reaction
Construct and use an electron pushing mechanism or reaction energy profile to evaluate the validity of claims as to the outcome of a chemical process
Construct and use appropriate structural representations to explain observed differences in the physical and chemical properties of substances in terms of electrostatics, orbital overlap and energy
Construct and use a reaction energy profile to justify why a particular reaction system is likely to produce the product formed most quickly or which is most stable
Design and justify a multi-step synthetic route capable of feasibly generating a molecular target from specified starting materials

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗

average GPA
letter grades

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Professors

Spring 2027

Matt Bowman

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 4.86/5 from 300 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: 4.8/5 raw quality · 3.3/5 difficulty · 112 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Matt Bowman

Matt Bowman taught organic chemistry by providing extensive online resources, including videos and practice exams that closely mirrored the actual tests. Students described his lectures as engaging and clear, noting that he offered numerous practice problems to help students prepare. He also maintained a generous schedule of office hours, particularly when midterms or finals were approaching.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 2.92 GPA, 35.9% A/AB (n=181 letter grades); Spring 2025: 2.89 GPA, 37.1% A/AB (n=601 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.90 GPA, 37.1% A/AB (n=329 letter grades).

Kimberly Deglopper

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 4.41/5 from 46 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.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 2.89 GPA, 40.3% A/AB (n=196 letter grades); Spring 2025: 2.89 GPA, 38.1% A/AB (n=194 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.95 GPA, 40.3% A/AB (n=258 letter grades).

Helen Blackwell

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 3.97/5 from 62 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: 4.0/5 raw quality · 3.8/5 difficulty · 54 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Helen Blackwell

Students described Helen Blackwell's lectures as conversational and engaging, though others found them boring and difficult to follow. Her lectures closely followed the textbook, which one student noted supplemented the material well, while another criticized the focus on minuscule details.

Assessment expectations varied; some found exams extremely hard and different from practice problems, while others noted they were difficult but manageable with effort. Students reported that homework was easier than the tests and that practice questions were not always useful.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2019: 2.72 GPA, 30.6% A/AB (n=180 letter grades); Spring 2020: 3.20 GPA, 47.7% A/AB (n=128 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.85 GPA, 38.4% A/AB (n=245 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Past student reviews · AJ Boydston

Past students described the course as difficult, with assessment primarily consisting of three take-home quizzes and four exams. Instructors like AJ Boydston were noted for making tough material more approachable through clear lectures and accessible office hours, though exams remained challenging. Students emphasized that putting in effort was necessary to succeed despite the difficulty.

AARON MCCOY is recorded teaching in Fall 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

AMANDA SPIEWAK is recorded teaching in Fall 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHRISTIAN HACKENBERGER is recorded teaching in Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHRISTINE BEEMELMANNS is recorded teaching in Spring 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

HELEN BLACKWELL is recorded teaching in Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

IEVA REICH is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KIMBERLY DEGLOPPER is recorded teaching in Spring 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MATTHEW BOWMAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RYAN STOWE is recorded teaching in Fall 2019, Fall 2021, Fall 2023, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

STEVEN BURKE is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

TINA WANG is recorded teaching in Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, 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

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

Section	Mode	Enrolled / capacity
LEC 001	Classroom Instruction	0 / 285
LEC 002	Classroom Instruction	0 / 358
DIS 321	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 322	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 324	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 326	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 327	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 301	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 302	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 303	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 304	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 305	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 306	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 308	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 328	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
LEC 003	Classroom Instruction	0 / 274
DIS 341	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 343	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 344	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 347	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 348	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 323	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 307	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 325	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 342	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 329	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 330	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 331	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 332	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 349	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 350	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 351	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 352	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 309	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 310	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 311	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 312	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 345	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30
DIS 346	Classroom Instruction	0 / 30

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

Past student reviews · Matt Bowman

Matt Bowman’s lectures were engaging and supported by extensive online resources, including videos and practice exams that closely mirrored actual assessments. Students generally found the material manageable when utilizing these provided tools.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 2.89 GPA, 37.4% A/AB (n=795 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.93 GPA, 38.3% A/AB (n=1088 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.90 GPA, 38.5% A/AB (n=832 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Matt Bowman, Helen Blackwell

Past student reviews · Helen Blackwell

Feedback on Helen Blackwell was mixed; some students found her lectures dry or difficult to follow, and felt exams were harder than practice materials. Others appreciated her focus on reaction mechanisms, though grading rubrics were described as specific and harsh.

Topics

Molecular structure, bonding, and reactivity of organic functional groups
Stereochemical and regiochemical outcomes of chemical processes
Multi-step synthesis design

Skills

Constructing transition state renderings and electron pushing mechanisms to explain reaction outcomes
Using structural representations to explain physical and chemical properties via electrostatics and orbital overlap
Constructing reaction energy profiles to justify product stability and formation rate
Designing and justifying multi-step synthetic routes for molecular targets

Grades

Spring 2027 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

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 · 0.09 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Spring 2027

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · 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

1280 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

CHEM 343 · Spring 2027

Organic Chemistry I

Recorded 2026-10-29

Raw records

[
  {
    "run_id": "20261029T213040-0fa85c20",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-29 21:30:40.248904+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:224:002767",
    "course_id": "CHEM 343",
    "course_uid": "course_34903ee31ae592cff4822461",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "002767",
    "source_subject_id": "224",
    "title": "Organic Chemistry I",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]

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

Model outputs & technical records

Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B

LLM outputs across runs

Download part 1

Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance

{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "979107a4e05852feecabb1527ec7ad24e3fd5611029fc8cd74514e4c2d72308c",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "c9cd06eaa45f9ddf7e69faa38b89ff3d3dd995dd",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-29 21:30:40.248904+00:00"
}

Organic Chemistry I

Summary

What you’ll be able to do

Grade history

Prerequisites

Professors

Matt Bowman

Kimberly Deglopper

Helen Blackwell

Calendar & sections

Student experience

the class

difficulty & workload

Topics

Skills

Grades

Spring 2027 · Projected

Grades over time

Where this course fits relative to UW–Madison

Sources & history

Catalog & offerings

Student reviews

Grade history

Where this course fits relative to