Fall 2026

Software Engineering

Software Engineering teaches techniques for designing, developing, and modifying large software systems, covering processes, architecture, and team management.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Scott Swanson2.1/5

Summary

1 / 6

The course focuses on agile team software projects and is considered easy if students participate, though logistics and reading quizzes add to the workload.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

(COMP SCI 367 or 400) and (COMP SCI 407, 536, 537, 545, 559, 564, 570, 679 orE C E/​COMP SCI 552) or graduate/professional standing, or declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

      • take one
        • COMP SCI 407
        • 536
        • 537
        • 545
        • 559
        • 564
        • 570
        • 679
        • E C E/COMP SCI 552
        take one
      take all
    • graduate/professional standing
    • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals
    take one
COMPSCI/ECE 506

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Any of
    • All of
      • Any of
      • Any of
        • COMP SCI 407
        • 536
        • 537
        • 545
        • 559
        • 564
        • 570
        • 679
        • E C E/COMP SCI 552
    • graduate/professional standing
    • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 1.70/5 from 69 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 · 2.8/5 difficulty · 56 reviews

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

Scott Swanson is praised by some as smart, caring, and entertaining, with one reviewer noting the class was worthwhile for practical application in software development. These students found him supportive and easy to get an A with consistent attendance and teamwork.

Other reviewers criticize Swanson for disorganization, irrelevant lectures, and rude or passive-aggressive communication. They report poor course structure, confusing grading schemes, and a lack of practical technical teaching, describing the experience as frustrating and a waste of time.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.54 GPA, 74.0% A/AB (n=127 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.56 GPA, 76.5% A/AB (n=81 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.60 GPA, 78.0% A/AB (n=168 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Tracy Lewis-Williams describe lectures as unprepared and confusing, with exams focusing on specific slide details rather than concepts. Students report that the large group project carries significant weight and causes grading disputes. While most reviewers criticize the course organization and office hours, one student found the class well-organized.

SCOTT SWANSON is recorded teaching in 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.

TRACY LEWIS-WILLIAMS is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021. 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 Instruction32 / 680
LEC 002Classroom Instruction49 / 660
LEC 001Classroom Instruction1 / 680
LEC 002Classroom Instruction6 / 680

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

Reviews for Scott Swanson are sharply divided, with some praising his support and entertainment value while others criticize his disorganization, rudeness, and lack of structure.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.57 GPA, 76.5% A/AB (n=170 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.56 GPA, 76.5% A/AB (n=81 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.60 GPA, 78.0% A/AB (n=168 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course focuses on agile team software projects and is considered easy if students participate, though logistics and reading quizzes add to the workload.

Students report frustration with complicated grading schemes, passive-aggressive communication, and lectures that lack practical technical content.

Topics

  • Software engineering processes
  • Requirements and specifications
  • Project team organization and management
  • Software architectures
  • Design patterns
  • Testing and debugging
  • Cost and quality metrics and estimation

Skills

  • Designing and developing large software systems
  • Software engineering processes
  • Requirements and specifications
  • Project team organization and management
  • Software architectures
  • Design patterns
  • Testing and debugging
  • Cost and quality metrics and estimation

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 · 0.24 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 506 · Fall 2026

Software Engineering

Recorded 2026-09-07
COMPSCI/ECE 506 · Fall 2026

Software Engineering

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": "1272:266:024047",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI/ECE 506",
    "course_uid": "course_32bc831d31cf0c1254ddaf8d",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "024047",
    "source_subject_id": "266",
    "title": "Software Engineering",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Spring"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:320:024047",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI/ECE 506",
    "course_uid": "course_32bc831d31cf0c1254ddaf8d",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "024047",
    "source_subject_id": "320",
    "title": "Software Engineering",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Spring"
  }
]
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": "6c5ad1108faf5ec935283cea4ac6afd288cc240c6bf7278c70b31fa1d54530a0",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}