Fall 2026

Machine Organization and Programming

COMPSCI/ECE 354 introduces computer system structures and C programming, covering memory, assembly, and compilation.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Hina Mahmood4.3/5Gary Dahl3.2/5

Summary

1 / 6

Projects are lengthy and require early starts, while bi-weekly quizzes and dense course materials add to the workload and preparation demands.

Grade history

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

Prerequisites

Course map

E C E/​COMP SCI 252 and (COMP SCI 300 or 302) or graduate/professional standing or declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

      • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals
      • E C E/COMP SCI 252
      take all
    • take one
    • graduate/professional standing
    take one
COMPSCI/ECE 354 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
  • Any of
    • All of
      • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals
      • E C E/COMP SCI 252
    • Any of
    • graduate/professional standing

Professors

Fall 2026

Hina Mahmood

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

Raw average: 4.53/5 from 47 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.

Hina Mahmood is described as caring, approachable, and helpful, with clear explanations that make difficult concepts accessible. Reviewers note she encourages participation and extends office hours to address student questions thoroughly.

Some reviewers found her initially harsh or noted minor clarity issues, while others criticized the lack of slides and perceived busywork. One review mentioned specific conceptual gaps near the end of the term.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.20 GPA, 51.4% A/AB (n=385 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.12 GPA, 42.5% A/AB (n=299 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 51.9% A/AB (n=289 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

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

Raw average: 3.16/5 from 155 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: 1.6/5 raw quality · 4.1/5 difficulty · 23 reviews

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

Gary Dahl receives uniformly poor reviews for COMPSCI/ECE 354, with students citing confusing lectures, poor organization, and a lack of subject mastery. Reviewers describe his teaching as boring and unhelpful, noting that he fails to clarify concepts or answer questions effectively. While one student notes he is a stickler for policy, the consensus is that his instruction is significantly worse than other sections.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.10 GPA, 43.4% A/AB (n=286 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.99 GPA, 32.7% A/AB (n=284 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Yiyin Shen: Yiyin Shen provides structured lectures and grade-boosting opportunities, though some students find the live explanations difficult to follow without recordings. Her projects are doable but can be tough, requiring careful attention to lecture materials.

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

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

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

JASON LOWE-POWER is recorded teaching in Fall 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KAREN S. MILLER is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 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. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARK D. HILL is recorded teaching in Fall 2008. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MICHAEL DOESCHER is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Spring 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

YIYIN SHEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2025, Spring 2026. 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 Instruction155 / 2500
LEC 002Classroom Instruction229 / 3000
LEC 001Classroom Instruction62 / 2500
LEC 002Classroom Instruction71 / 3000

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

Hina Mahmood is described as engaging and approachable, with clear explanations that help students navigate the course's inherent difficulty.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.25 GPA, 54.7% A/AB (n=583 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.11 GPA, 42.9% A/AB (n=585 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.13 GPA, 44.3% A/AB (n=618 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Projects are lengthy and require early starts, while bi-weekly quizzes and dense course materials add to the workload and preparation demands.

Gary Dahl's lectures are criticized as unorganized and unclear, with students finding his rigid policy enforcement and lack of passion frustrating.

Topics

  • Virtual address space, virtual memory, heap, dynamic memory management, memory hierarchy, caching, assembly language, stack, interrupts/signals, compiling, assemblers, linkers.
  • Fundamental computer system structures and C programming.
  • Low-level interrelationships and performance impacts.

Skills

  • Analyzing low-level system interrelationships and their impact on performance.
  • Understanding virtual memory, dynamic memory, caching, assembly, interrupts, and compilation tools.

Grades

Historical instructor

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 · 0.08 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
COMPSCI/ECE 354 · Fall 2026

Machine Organization and Programming

Recorded 2026-09-07
COMPSCI/ECE 354 · Fall 2026

Machine Organization and Programming

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "credits_min": 3,
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    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  },
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    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "004244",
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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
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": "1aeef850c7ef5afd64bb1c09a25f204e282d1a4944ce132e5735b1837b6fb987",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}