Fall 2026

Communication Systems I

Communication Systems I covers modulation, noise analysis, synchronization, and sampling techniques.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Paul Milenkovic2.6/5

Summary

1 / 6

The final project and required Java DSP software are frequently cited as confusing and difficult to navigate.

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 203 or 330), graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students

    • ECE 203
    • ECE 330
    • graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students
    take one
ECE 436

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

Prerequisite text tree
  • Any of
    • ECE 203
    • ECE 330
    • graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students

Professors

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

Raw average: 2.27/5 from 63 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: 3.4/5 raw quality · 3.3/5 difficulty · 7 reviews

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

Paul Milenkovic is accessible and generous, with students appreciating his willingness to help. However, his lectures are described as dry and his notes as disorganized, though some find the textbook sufficient to follow.

The final project and Java DSP software cause mixed reactions. Reviewers report confusion over project requirements, while others find the software itself difficult to use and hindering to learning.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.59 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.50 GPA, 81.2% A/AB (n=32 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.65 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=30 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

PAUL MILENKOVIC is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, 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

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction27 / 480

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

Paul Milenkovic is consistently described as accessible and helpful, though reviews diverge sharply on his teaching effectiveness and course materials.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.59 GPA, 68.8% A/AB (n=16 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.50 GPA, 81.2% A/AB (n=32 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.65 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=30 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The final project and required Java DSP software are frequently cited as confusing and difficult to navigate.

Lectures are often criticized as dry or confusing, but students note that office hours and email support are reliable resources.

Topics

  • Modulation schemes (AM, FM, PM, PCM)
  • Noise representation and SNR
  • Pulse shaping and synchronization
  • Sampling and quantization

Skills

  • Understanding various modulation schemes including AM, FM, PM, and PCM.
  • Analyzing noise impact and signal-to-noise ratios in communication systems.
  • Implementing pulse shaping, timing recovery, carrier synchronization, and equalization techniques.
  • Applying sampling, quantization, and coding principles.

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Fall 2025

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · 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

1320 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
ECE 436 · Fall 2026

Communication Systems I

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": "1272:320:006375",
    "course_id": "ECE 436",
    "course_uid": "course_4bab507174f00d6393e58c91",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "006375",
    "source_subject_id": "320",
    "title": "Communication Systems I",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall"
  }
]
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": "54ba0b2c81dc751a78abbac10005ded94fb3b8a75b51cd9df4baa65866383ef0",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}