Fall 2026

Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems

Introduction to MEMS technology, devices, and systems, covering fabrication, process integration, material mechanics, and applications in sensors, actuators, and specialized MEMS types.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Hongrui Jiang3.4/5

Summary

1 / 6

Homework sets are described as fun and creative, while projects are noted as helpful for learning the material.

Grade history

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

Prerequisites

Course map

(E C E 335 or 340), graduate/professional standing, or member of Engineering Guest Students

    • ECE 335
    • ECE 340
    • graduate/professional standing
    • member of Engineering Guest Students
    take one
ECE 542

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

Prerequisite text tree
  • Any of
    • ECE 335
    • ECE 340
    • graduate/professional standing
    • member of Engineering Guest Students

Professors

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

Raw average: 3.17/5 from 18 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: 5.0/5 raw quality · 4.0/5 difficulty · 2 reviews

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

Hongrui Jiang teaches ECE 542, a course aligned with his research focus, resulting in creative homework and helpful projects that students find engaging and recommend highly.

Jiang is patient and helpful for respectful students who admit confusion, though he may appear condescending to those who pretend knowledge. He is a lenient grader who rarely gives full scores unless work is impressive.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.68 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Fall 2020: 3.61 GPA, 90.9% A/AB (n=22 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.67 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

HONGRUI JIANG is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2014, Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2020, Fall 2023. 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 Instruction12 / 250

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

Professor Hongrui Jiang teaches a course aligned with his research, offering creative homework and helpful projects. He is patient with respectful students but condescending to those who pretend knowledge, though he grades leniently for impressive work.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2018: 3.68 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Fall 2020: 3.61 GPA, 90.9% A/AB (n=22 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.67 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=24 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Homework sets are described as fun and creative, while projects are noted as helpful for learning the material.

Students who are respectful and admit they do not understand are walked through problems slowly, whereas pretense is met with condescension.

Topics

  • Microfluidics, optical MEMS, RF MEMS, BioMEMS, packaging, and CAD.

Skills

  • Understanding MEMS technology, devices, and systems including fabrication, process integration, material mechanics, and specific applications like microfluidics, optical, RF, and BioMEMS.

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2023— 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 2023

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Not enough comparable courses for Fall 2026 in UW–Madison.

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
ECE 542 · Fall 2026

Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems

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": "1272:320:022814",
    "course_id": "ECE 542",
    "course_uid": "course_800240e123aa63ca6a162dd9",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "022814",
    "source_subject_id": "320",
    "title": "Introduction to Microelectromechanical Systems",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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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": "e0f072c33f9e2892a78a758728138d4f1683f0295b6bfe01eeceb90d1c1a6e5d",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}