Fall 2026

Academic Writing II

ESL 118 teaches academic writing, critical reading, argumentation, research paper organization, and oral communication skills.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Terry Nuckolls4.0/5Angela Alexander3.9/5Iman Sheydaei3.8/5 +2 more

Summary

1 / 6

Workload involves multiple substantial papers and frequent revisions. Some instructors require mandatory attendance and hard-copy submissions, while others rely on self-study and extensive paper revision.

Grade history

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

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

ESL 117 or placement into ESL 118

  • take one
ESL 118 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

Professors

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

Raw average: 4.30/5 from 20 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: 4.3/5 raw quality · 3.2/5 difficulty · 16 reviews

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

Terry Nuckolls is praised as engaging and supportive, improving writing through extensive feedback. While initially intimidating, he becomes approachable and cares about success. Following his specific essay format instructions is key to high grades.

Some reviewers report concerns about his demeanor, describing him as easily angered and using humiliating language. One alleges inconsistent grading and lack of rubrics, while another claims he is more demanding toward male students.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.85 GPA, 95.8% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.94 GPA, 96.2% A/AB (n=26 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.90 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades).

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

Raw average: 4.38/5 from 8 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: 4.2/5 raw quality · 3.2/5 difficulty · 6 reviews

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

Angela Alexander receives high praise for providing helpful critique, constructive feedback, and an encouraging, stress-free environment that improves writing skills. Reviewers describe her as accommodating, fair, and motivating, making the class enjoyable for those who follow her advice.

Some students find the course suitable only for self-learners who enjoy revising papers, noting that the discussion-based format may lack clear instruction. These reviewers criticize unclear feedback and suggest grades depend on meeting the professor's specific taste rather than learning useful skills.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.57 GPA, 85.7% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.75 GPA, 78.6% A/AB (n=14 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades).

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

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 2 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.

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

Raw average: 3.46/5 from 13 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.

James Corona is described as caring and clear, with students noting that following his instructions and attending mandatory classes leads to easy As. Reviewers appreciate his good paper feedback and consistent content delivery.

Other reviewers criticize his lectures as boring and repetitive, citing poor communication during conferences and illegible handwriting. Some find the content unhelpful for writing papers and note he rarely uses Canvas, requiring email submissions.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.83 GPA, 95.0% A/AB (n=40 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.83 GPA, 97.2% A/AB (n=36 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.85 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=33 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Karen Best, Parthy Schachter, and Shauna Crowther show mixed experiences. Best received criticism for low grades and insufficient feedback, while Schachter was praised for kindness. Crowther was reported to provide no positive feedback, requiring students to figure out material independently.

ALYSSA FRANZE is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ANGELA ALEXANDER is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, 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.

HOSSEIN PANAHI is recorded teaching in Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JAMES CORONA is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2021, Spring 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.

KAREN BEST is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

LAURA JONES-KATZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARK PLANE is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MAT HALACZKIEWICZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

PARTHY SCHACHTER is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RENEE LAJCAK is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SHAUNA CROWTHER is recorded teaching in Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

STEVEN TIMM is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

TERRY NUCKOLLS is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, 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.

TIMOTHY DALBY is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019. 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 Instruction0 / 00
LEC 002Classroom Instruction15 / 120
LEC 003Classroom Instruction16 / 120
LEC 004Classroom Instruction16 / 120
LEC 005Classroom Instruction15 / 120
LEC 006Classroom Instruction15 / 120
LEC 007Classroom Instruction16 / 120
LEC 008Classroom Instruction16 / 120
LEC 009Classroom Instruction15 / 120
LEC 010Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 011Classroom Instruction14 / 120
LEC 013Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 014Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 015Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 016Classroom Instruction13 / 120
LEC 017Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 018Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 019Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 020Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 021Classroom Instruction0 / 00
LEC 022Classroom 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
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Student experience

the class

Students generally report that ESL 118 is manageable if they follow instructor instructions closely. Positive reviews highlight supportive teaching styles and clear feedback from instructors like Terry Nuckolls, Angela Alexander, and James Corona.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.75 GPA, 89.0% A/AB (n=290 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.84 GPA, 93.1% A/AB (n=144 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.86 GPA, 96.0% A/AB (n=225 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Workload involves multiple substantial papers and frequent revisions. Some instructors require mandatory attendance and hard-copy submissions, while others rely on self-study and extensive paper revision.

Experiences vary significantly by instructor. Some students find instructors approachable and helpful, while others report intimidating attitudes, unclear feedback, or lectures that do not aid paper writing. Instructors rarely use Canvas, requiring attendance and direct submission.

Topics

  • Critical reading and argumentation.
  • Documentation.
  • Style and organization of research papers.
  • Oral communication and presentations.

Skills

  • Academic writing, critical reading, argumentation, and documentation.
  • Style and organization of research papers.
  • Oral communication for class participation and presentations.

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 · 0.08 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
ESL 118 · Fall 2026

Academic Writing II

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": "1272:351:006731",
    "course_id": "ESL 118",
    "course_uid": "course_44c96673fa1edf356243e374",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "006731",
    "source_subject_id": "351",
    "title": "Academic Writing II",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "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
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 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "a06d7a588cc2256a70d963ee61f4e866474c3debdc24bbd21f9f15987c78f12c",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}