Fall 2026

Elementary Matrix and Linear Algebra

MATH 340 is an introduction to linear algebra covering matrix algebra, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues, and inner product spaces.

offering recorded3 credits

Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Kaitlyn Phillipson4.2/5 Paige Hillen4.0/5 Celal Can Bellek +4 more

Summary

1 / 7

Reviewers describe the workload as fairly light and note that Dr. Phillipson’s clear grading criteria make studying manageable, despite the inherent difficulty of the subject matter.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades

A

AB

B

BC

C

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F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

MATH 222. Not open to students with credit forMATH 341, 345, or 375

- MATH 222
- - take one
  not eligible with
take all

MATH 340 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

All of
- MATH 222
- Not eligible with
  - Any of

Professors

Fall 2026

Kaitlyn Phillipson

/5Adjusted rating

/5RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 4.38/5 from 55 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 · 2.6/5 difficulty · 13 reviews

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

Kaitlyn Phillipson receives consistent praise for simplifying complex concepts, providing interactive lectures, and offering structured materials like note templates. Reviewers highlight her patience, willingness to re-explain topics, and the helpfulness of recorded lectures and available TAs.

While Phillipson is highly recommended, one reviewer notes that grade criteria are strict, though clear. Another mentions the course material itself is difficult, despite the professor's effective teaching style and support.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.03 GPA, 43.8% A/AB (n=89 letter grades); Spring 2023: 3.17 GPA, 51.6% A/AB (n=124 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.17 GPA, 50.7% A/AB (n=215 letter grades).

Paige Hillen

/5Adjusted rating

/5RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 6 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.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2025: 3.04 GPA, 42.7% A/AB (n=75 letter grades).

Celal Can Bellek

No course-specific feedback yet.

Jack Messina

No course-specific feedback yet.

Lattice Huang

No course-specific feedback yet.

Rio Haeussler Albi

No course-specific feedback yet.

Yourong Zang

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews for Honchang Ji and Nicholas Derr highlight clear instruction and engaging lectures. Ji uses online worksheets to aid note-taking, while Derr is praised for explaining concepts clearly and answering questions. Both instructors received positive feedback for making the material accessible.

DOHYUN KWON is recorded teaching in Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DONGHYUN LEE is recorded teaching in Spring 2017, Spring 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

FENG ZHU is recorded teaching in Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

FLORIAN BERTRAND is recorded teaching in Spring 2010, Fall 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

GARY HOWARD SCHROEDER is recorded teaching in Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

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

KAITLYN PHILLIPSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MUSTAFA KALAFAT is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Spring 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

NICHOLAS DERR is recorded teaching in Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

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

SEAN ROSTAMI is recorded teaching in Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

XIUXIONG CHEN is recorded teaching in Fall 2006. 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
LEC 001	Classroom Instruction	187 / 190	6
LEC 003	Classroom Instruction	92 / 92	1
LEC 002	Classroom Instruction	185 / 186	9
DIS 302	Classroom Instruction	30 / 30	2
DIS 303	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	0
DIS 321	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	1
DIS 322	Classroom Instruction	30 / 30	3
DIS 323	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	1
DIS 342	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	1
DIS 343	Classroom Instruction	30 / 30	0
DIS 341	Classroom Instruction	30 / 30	0
DIS 304	Classroom Instruction	31 / 32	1
DIS 324	Classroom Instruction	29 / 30	1
DIS 305	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	2
DIS 306	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	0
DIS 308	Classroom Instruction	30 / 32	1
DIS 325	Classroom Instruction	30 / 30	2
DIS 326	Classroom Instruction	32 / 32	1

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

Kaitlyn Phillipson receives universal praise for making linear algebra accessible through clear, engaging lectures and supportive teaching. Reviewers highlight her patience, humor, and structured materials as key strengths, though one notes the course material itself is difficult.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 2.98 GPA, 40.7% A/AB (n=621 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.92 GPA, 40.0% A/AB (n=608 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.87 GPA, 40.1% A/AB (n=469 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Reviewers describe the workload as fairly light and note that Dr. Phillipson’s clear grading criteria make studying manageable, despite the inherent difficulty of the subject matter.

Students value the availability of TAs for thorough explanations, recorded lectures, and online note templates that facilitate note-taking. One reviewer regrets not attending more office hours, indicating high engagement with the instructor's support.

Topics

Matrix algebra and linear systems
Vector spaces and determinants
Linear transformations
Eigenvalues and diagonalization
Inner products and symmetric matrices

Skills

Matrix algebra and linear systems
Vector space theory
Linear transformations and mappings
Eigenvalue analysis and diagonalization
Inner product spaces and orthogonality

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 · 0.11 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.

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Selected offering source records

MATH 340 · Fall 2026

Elementary Matrix and Linear Algebra

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": "1272:600:011655",
    "course_id": "MATH 340",
    "course_uid": "course_eec4aae06b946a73f1878be4",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "011655",
    "source_subject_id": "600",
    "title": "Elementary Matrix and Linear Algebra",
    "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

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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": "f242db2b60bf7cc9a685d5963ab87e1fa0e738a358f8929558a07f35e3175b92",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}