Fall 2026

Mechanics of Materials Lab

Mechanics of Materials Lab covers data processing and experimental testing of tension/compression, creep, fatigue, fracture, composites, combined stress, beam flexure, dynamic loads, and buckling.

offering recorded1 credits

Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Andrew Mikkelson3.6/5 Jacob Notbohm3.6/5 Chenhao Yu +5 more

Summary

1 / 6

The course is rated as low difficulty by one student, but specific workload details or preparation requirements are not described in the available evidence.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades

A

AB

B

BC

C

D

F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

(M E 306,E M A 303 or concurrent enrollment) or member of Engineering Guest Students

- EMA 303 · prior_or_concurrent
- - M E 306
  - member of Engineering Guest Students
  take one
take one

EMA/ME 307 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
- EMA 303 · prior_or_concurrent
- Any of
  - M E 306
  - member of Engineering Guest Students

Professors

Fall 2026

Andrew Mikkelson

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 3.61/5 from 38 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 · 2.0/5 difficulty · 1 reviews

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

Andrew Mikkelson is highly regarded for his clear explanations and use of examples, with one reviewer calling him one of their favorite professors. He is noted for having a great sense of humor and genuinely caring about student understanding.

Jacob Notbohm

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 3.50/5 from 14 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.

No course-specific feedback yet.

Chenhao Yu

No course-specific feedback yet.

Ian Hoffman

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.89 GPA, 98.0% A/AB (n=51 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.82 GPA, 91.8% A/AB (n=49 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.84 GPA, 94.6% A/AB (n=37 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Jacob Zeuske

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.90 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.91 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.92 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=12 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Ryan Vandewiele

No course-specific feedback yet.

Subhasish Das

No course-specific feedback yet.

Thomas Golin

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Robert Rowlands was described as funny and helpful but not very organized. This historical review suggests his teaching style had organizational shortcomings despite his efforts to assist students.

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

JACOB ZEUSKE is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KRISTOFER DRESSLER is recorded teaching in Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ROBERT ROWLANDS is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

WAEL ABDEL SAMAD is recorded teaching in Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013. 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.

Section	Mode	Enrolled / capacity	Waitlist
LAB 006	Classroom Instruction	9 / 14	0
LAB 007	Classroom Instruction	11 / 14	0
LAB 003	Classroom Instruction	12 / 14	0
LAB 008	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 010	Classroom Instruction	12 / 14	0
LAB 011	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 004	Classroom Instruction	9 / 14	0
LAB 012	Classroom Instruction	11 / 14	0
LAB 014	Classroom Instruction	9 / 14	0
LAB 015	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 016	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 005	Classroom Instruction	9 / 14	0
LAB 001	Classroom Instruction	8 / 14	0
LAB 009	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 013	Classroom Instruction	11 / 14	1
LAB 002	Classroom Instruction	8 / 14	0
LAB 017	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 018	Classroom Instruction	1 / 14	0
LAB 019	Classroom Instruction	9 / 14	0
LAB 006	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	0
LAB 003	Classroom Instruction	4 / 14	0
LAB 008	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 007	Classroom Instruction	5 / 14	0
LAB 010	Classroom Instruction	4 / 14	0
LAB 004	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	0
LAB 011	Classroom Instruction	10 / 14	0
LAB 012	Classroom Instruction	5 / 14	0
LAB 014	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	0
LAB 015	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 016	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 005	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	1
LAB 001	Classroom Instruction	8 / 14	0
LAB 009	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 013	Classroom Instruction	5 / 14	0
LAB 002	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	0
LAB 017	Classroom Instruction	6 / 14	0
LAB 018	Classroom Instruction	15 / 14	0
LAB 019	Classroom Instruction	7 / 14	0

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

Andrew Mikkelson is a highly rated current instructor who explains concepts clearly with humor and care, though this single review provides limited context for the overall course experience.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.90 GPA, 98.3% A/AB (n=178 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.81 GPA, 89.3% A/AB (n=224 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.74 GPA, 94.7% A/AB (n=207 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course is rated as low difficulty by one student, but specific workload details or preparation requirements are not described in the available evidence.

Students appreciate Mikkelson's clear explanations and use of examples, finding his lectures engaging and supportive of their understanding of the material.

Topics

Tension and compression tests.
Creep and stress concentrations.
Fatigue and fracture.
Composite materials.
Combined stress and beam flexure.
Dynamic loads and buckling.

Skills

Data processing for mechanical tests.
Experimental testing and analysis of material behaviors including tension, compression, creep, fatigue, fracture, composites, combined stress, beam flexure, dynamic loads, and buckling.

Grades

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 · 0.19 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.

Download part 1

Selected offering source records

EMA/ME 307 · Fall 2026

Mechanics of Materials Lab

Recorded 2026-09-07

EMA/ME 307 · Fall 2026

Mechanics of Materials Lab

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": "1272:346:011961",
    "course_id": "EMA/ME 307",
    "course_uid": "course_f53475e70d537ffea6d22382",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "011961",
    "source_subject_id": "346",
    "title": "Mechanics of Materials Lab",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 1,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:612:011961",
    "course_id": "EMA/ME 307",
    "course_uid": "course_f53475e70d537ffea6d22382",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "011961",
    "source_subject_id": "612",
    "title": "Mechanics of Materials Lab",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 1,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]

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

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": "bd211ad0df585f8d7129f30a1e3c382820b89a051cfe9c43bfbed8deb5297d3a",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}