Spring 2027

Machine Organization and Programming

Machine Organization and Programming introduces computer system structures and C programming, focusing on low-level performance impacts like virtual memory, caching, and assembly.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Hina Mahmood4.3/5Gary Dahl3.2/5

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Hina Mahmood

Projects were lengthy and required students to start early, while exams were fair and mostly theoretical.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Implement and interpret C programs using standard tools, and relate C language constructs to both assembly language and fundamental computer system structures.

  • Differentiate, describe, and diagram the memory segments of a process's virtual address space and explain how each is used in C programs.

  • Describe and diagram how dynamically allocated (heap) memory works, analyze the performance of allocation strategies, and implement a dynamic memory manager in C.

  • Differentiate memory hierarchy levels, relative performance, and space differences, differentiate between common cache configurations, and appraise the effects of data structures and access patterns on spatial and temporal locality and available memory caching on the performance of C programs.

  • Diagram a stack trace of execution for function calls in C programs, and explain how the compiler implements the stack with assembly language code.

  • Write C programs that send and receive signals and respond to exceptional circumstances, and explain the underlying mechanism that enables asynchronous execution.

  • Identify and summarize the steps required to build an executable program from multiple C source code files and compiled libraries, and describe the processes of linking multiple object code modules to form an executable and loading an executable to run it.

Source: UW Guide 1 UW Guide 2

Grade history

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

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

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

    • take all
    • graduate/professional standing
    • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals
    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
    • graduate/professional standing
    • declared in the Capstone Certificate in Computer Sciences for Professionals

Professors

Spring 2027

Hina Mahmood

Adjusted rating
RMP 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.

Past student reviews · Hina Mahmood

Hina Mahmood taught the course with hand-written notes and clear, to-the-point explanations that made difficult concepts easier to follow. Students found the projects lengthy, requiring early starts, and described the exams as fair and mostly theoretical. One student noted the class felt like busywork, while another found the explanations helpful for overcoming initial fear of the course's difficulty.

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.

Adjusted rating
RMP 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.

Past student reviews · Gary Dahl

Gary Dahl’s lectures were described as unorganized, boring, and confusing, with several students reporting that he taught concepts differently or incorrectly compared to other sections. Students found the bi-weekly quizzes burdensome and noted that his strict policy adherence limited flexibility for leniency.

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

Past student reviews · Karen Miller, Jason Lowe-Power, Michael Doescher, Debra (Deb) Deppeler

Karen Miller taught engaging, low-tech lectures with interesting homework, though opinions varied on her exam quality and picky grading. Jason Lowe-Power was an engaging, clear speaker who used humor, and one student found the selected book amazingly clear. Michael Doescher was a funny, accommodating lecturer, but reviews conflicted on his preparation and exam difficulty. Debra Deppeler provided clear outlines and helpful practice, though her projects took time and some students found her explanations rushed.

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

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 3200
LEC 002Classroom Instruction0 / 3200
LEC 010Classroom Instruction0 / 500
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 3000
LEC 002Classroom Instruction0 / 2980
LEC 010Classroom Instruction0 / 00

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Hina Mahmood

Students described the course as intense but rewarding, with Hina Mahmood explaining difficult concepts in simple terms.

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

Past student reviews · Hina Mahmood

Projects were lengthy and required students to start early, while exams were fair and mostly theoretical.

Past student reviews · Hina Mahmood

Hina Mahmood was approachable and helpful outside class, often running over office hours to ensure student questions were addressed.

Topics

  • Virtual address space and virtual memory
  • Heap and dynamic memory management
  • Memory hierarchy and caching
  • Assembly language and the stack
  • Communication and interrupts/signals
  • Compiling and assemblers/linkers

Skills

  • C programming
  • Assembly language
  • Virtual memory management
  • Dynamic memory management
  • Memory hierarchy and caching
  • Interrupts and signals
  • Compiling and linking

Grades

Historical instructor

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 · 0.14 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.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
COMPSCI/ECE 354 · Spring 2027

Machine Organization and Programming

Recorded 2026-10-14
COMPSCI/ECE 354 · Spring 2027

Machine Organization and Programming

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:266:004244",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI/ECE 354",
    "course_uid": "course_6e524f2d6f14b4e14c7ac770",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "004244",
    "source_subject_id": "266",
    "title": "Machine Organization and Programming",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:320:004244",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI/ECE 354",
    "course_uid": "course_6e524f2d6f14b4e14c7ac770",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "004244",
    "source_subject_id": "320",
    "title": "Machine Organization and Programming",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
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 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
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.

Download part 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "59652ddbb665273aa25311a4edc205088d4edfd1cb8938344e6bd7c8e6d041e4",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}