Fall 2026

Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

CHEM 344 introduces basic organic synthesis, purification, and characterization techniques, and critical interpretation of experimental data.

offering recorded2 credits

Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Brian Esselman4.2/5 Adam Switek Alex Cruz +26 more

Summary

1 / 6

The course is extremely demanding, requiring two long labs weekly and extensive post-lab reports. Students report that office hours are essential for success, and the workload is often considered disproportionate to the credit value.

Grade history

↗

average GPA
letter grades

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

(CHEM 345 or concurrent enrollment) and (CHEM 102, 104, 109, or 116)

- CHEM 345 · prior_or_concurrent
- take one
take all

CHEM 344 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

All of
- CHEM 345 · prior_or_concurrent
- Any of

Professors

Fall 2026

Brian Esselman

/5Adjusted rating

/5RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 4.26/5 from 162 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: 3.1/5 raw quality · 4.1/5 difficulty · 14 reviews

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

Brian Esselman is described as passionate and approachable, with students noting his flexibility and desire for them to learn. He maintains high expectations and requires significant effort, including extensive lab reports and office hour visits, to succeed in the demanding course.

Some reviewers criticize Esselman for disorganized instruction, reliance on old videos, and deflecting work to TAs. Others report that TAs provide incorrect answers and grading is tough, leading to confusion and frustration with the course structure and support.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Adam Switek

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.19 GPA, 38.5% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.22 GPA, 37.5% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.28 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Alex Cruz

No course-specific feedback yet.

Amanda Strohm

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.15 GPA, 29.4% A/AB (n=17 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Andi Chen

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.56 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Anthony Castro

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.29 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.21 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Spring 2025: 2.96 GPA, 28.6% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Bret Perkins

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.19 GPA, 56.2% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Brett Boyle

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.20 GPA, 53.3% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.00 GPA, 46.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Brian Huber

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.22 GPA, 37.5% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.20 GPA, 60.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Brogan Dietsche

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.18 GPA, 35.7% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.31 GPA, 43.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Chenxi Lin

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.04 GPA, 16.7% A/AB (n=12 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.32 GPA, 47.1% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=12 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

David Hardy

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.32 GPA, 41.2% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.22 GPA, 33.3% A/AB (n=18 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Emma Ralph

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.30 GPA, 53.3% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.16 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Helena Lindner

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.24 GPA, 41.2% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.85 GPA, 30.8% A/AB (n=13 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Isabella Dinatale

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.16 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.16 GPA, 31.2% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

James Mackinder

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.31 GPA, 46.2% A/AB (n=13 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.25 GPA, 56.2% A/AB (n=16 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Jasmine Hang

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.10 GPA, 40.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.50 GPA, 58.8% A/AB (n=17 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

JUSTIN Kurak

No course-specific feedback yet.

Mary Beth Anzovino

Mary O'reilly

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.36 GPA, 57.1% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Matt Resmini

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.32 GPA, 52.9% A/AB (n=17 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Nicholas Hill

Nyasha Musoni

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.17 GPA, 46.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Quan Nguyen

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.23 GPA, 53.3% A/AB (n=15 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Ron Zheng

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.25 GPA, 44.4% A/AB (n=18 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Sammie Squire

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.36 GPA, 61.1% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.50 GPA, 64.3% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Stefanie Swiecki

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.25 GPA, 44.4% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 41.2% A/AB (n=17 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Wei-Xuan Kang

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2026: 3.27 GPA, 40.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Zahra Alikhani

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 3.12 GPA, 23.1% A/AB (n=13 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

No reviews exist for current instructors Adam Switek, Alex Cruz, Amanda Strohm, Andi Chen, Anthony Castro, Bret Perkins, Brett Boyle, Brian Esselman, Brian Huber, Brogan Dietsche, Chenxi Lin, David Hardy, Emma Ralph, Helena Lindner, Isabella Dinatale, Justin Kurak, James Mackinder, Jasmine Hang, Mary Beth Anzovino, Mary O'reilly, Matt Resmini, Nicholas Hill, Nyasha Musoni, Quan Nguyen, Ron Zheng, Sammie Squire, Stefanie Swiecki, Wei-Xuan Kang, or Zahra Alikhani. Historical reviews cover past faculty only.

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

AMANDA STROHM is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ANDY CHEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ANTHONY CASTRO is recorded teaching in Spring 2022, Fall 2024, Spring 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BENJAMIN HAENNI is recorded teaching in Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BRET PERKINS is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BRETT BOYLE is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BRIAN HUBER is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BRIAN JOHN ESSELMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BROGAN DIETSCHE is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

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

DAVID HARDY is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DINO RESS is recorded teaching in Spring 2008. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

EMMA RALPH is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

HELENA LINDNER is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

IAIN MCPHERSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2016. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ISABELLA DINATALE is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JAMES MACKINDER is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JASMINE HANG is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARY ELIZABETH ANZOVINO is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2012, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARY O'REILLY is recorded teaching in Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MATT RESMINI is recorded teaching in Spring 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MATTHEW BOWMAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NICHOLAS HILL is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NYASHA MUSONI is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

PAUL WHITE is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Spring 2009. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

QUAN NGUYEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RON ZHENG is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SAMMIE SQUIRE is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

STEFANIE SWIECKI is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

WEI-XUAN KANG is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ZAHRA ALIKHANI is recorded teaching in Spring 2022. 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
LAB 002	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 003	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 005	Classroom Instruction	17 / 18	0
LAB 007	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 013	Classroom Instruction	16 / 18	0
LAB 014	Classroom Instruction	16 / 18	0
LAB 015	Classroom Instruction	15 / 18	0
LAB 018	Classroom Instruction	17 / 18	0
LAB 023	Classroom Instruction	17 / 17	0
LAB 008	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 009	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 017	Classroom Instruction	17 / 18	0
LAB 012	Classroom Instruction	13 / 18	0
LAB 006	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 016	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 024	Classroom Instruction	0 / 0	0
LAB 025	Classroom Instruction	17 / 18	0
LAB 026	Classroom Instruction	15 / 18	0
LAB 028	Classroom Instruction	0 / 0	0
LAB 010	Classroom Instruction	17 / 18	0
LAB 019	Classroom Instruction	16 / 18	0
LAB 020	Classroom Instruction	19 / 18	0
LAB 029	Classroom Instruction	15 / 15	0
LAB 004	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 001	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	1
LAB 011	Classroom Instruction	15 / 18	0
LAB 021	Classroom Instruction	0 / 0	0
LAB 022	Classroom Instruction	18 / 18	0
LAB 027	Classroom Instruction	0 / 0	0
LAB 030	Classroom Instruction	0 / 0	0

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

Brian Esselman is praised as passionate and approachable, with students valuing his flexibility and desire for them to learn. He is described as helpful and caring, making the course a favorite for some.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.1% A/AB (n=508 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.23 GPA, 46.3% A/AB (n=369 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=575 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Students report frustration with confusing lectures, unclear grading criteria, and TAs providing incorrect information. Some find the instruction style disengaging, with one reviewer noting a lack of direct student interaction.

Topics

Organic synthesis, purification, and characterization
Experimental data interpretation

Skills

Synthesis, purification, and characterization techniques
Critical interpretation of experimental data

Grades

Fall 2026 · 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 · 0.03 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

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

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.

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Selected offering source records

CHEM 344 · Fall 2026

Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

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": "1272:224:002768",
    "course_id": "CHEM 344",
    "course_uid": "course_75930c37cc749772d3f9356c",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "002768",
    "source_subject_id": "224",
    "title": "Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]

Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews

Download part 1

Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades

Model outputs & technical records

nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4

LLM outputs across runs

Download part 1 Download part 2 Download part 3 Download part 4 Download part 5 Download part 6 Download part 7 Download part 8 Download part 9 Download part 10 Download part 11 Download part 12

Full model traces

Model & dataset provenance

{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "0113e9f95baa34d0b885cac5150fd5eb8959aa17cac542b681404dd45770a25a",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}

Introductory Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Summary

Grade history

Prerequisites

Professors

Calendar & sections

Student experience

the class

difficulty & workload

Topics

Skills

Grades

Fall 2026 · 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