Fall 2026

Geometric Modeling for Design and Manufacturing

ME 231 introduces geometric modeling and computer-aided design for mechanical design and manufacturing.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Kate Fu3.5/5Deekshith PonnanaJiarong Kang +4 more

Summary

1 / 7

The class is graded on completion with a final group project. Students report needing to learn SolidWorks independently through YouTube or self-study, as lectures do not provide sufficient guidance for the CAD modeling portions.

Grade history

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

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Declared in Biomedical, Biological Systems, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Engineering, Mat Sci and Engin, Engin Physics, Engineering Mechanics or member of Engineering Guest Students

  • Declared in Biomedical, Biological Systems, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Engineering, Mat Sci and Engin, Engin Physics, Engineering Mechanics or member of Engineering Guest Students
ME 231 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
  • Declared in Biomedical, Biological Systems, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Geological, Industrial, Mechanical or Nuclear Engineering, Mat Sci and Engin, Engin Physics, Engineering Mechanics or member of Engineering Guest Students

Professors

Fall 2026
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.28/5 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.

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

Kate Fu is described as kind, caring, and helpful, with some reviewers noting her flexibility regarding mental health and extensions. However, significant disagreement exists regarding lecture value, with some calling them pointless or useless while others find her helpful for SolidWorks. One reviewer reported public shaming for talking, contrasting with others' positive experiences.

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Jeff Roessler: Jeff Roessler is described as helpful and fair, though lectures can be dry. Reviewers note that exams require speed and practice, but the course is manageable if you attend class and complete the work. Success relies on staying on top of problems and seeking help early.

JASON OAKLEY is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JEFFREY ROESSLER is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Spring 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KIM JAY MANNER is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Spring 2017. 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 Instruction387 / 3990
LAB 302Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 303Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 307Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 308Classroom Instruction29 / 360
LAB 304Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 301Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 305Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 309Classroom Instruction33 / 360
LAB 310Classroom Instruction30 / 340
LAB 306Classroom Instruction36 / 360
LAB 311Classroom Instruction19 / 240
LAB 312Classroom Instruction24 / 250

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

Kate Fu teaches a class with no midterms where lectures are often considered useless for learning SolidWorks. Reviewers describe her as either accommodating and kind or prone to public shaming, with students largely relying on self-study and labs to complete assignments.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.94 GPA, 97.2% A/AB (n=247 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.86 GPA, 93.9% A/AB (n=247 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.74 GPA, 88.5% A/AB (n=312 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The class is graded on completion with a final group project. Students report needing to learn SolidWorks independently through YouTube or self-study, as lectures do not provide sufficient guidance for the CAD modeling portions.

Some students find Kate Fu flexible and caring, while others report being publicly shamed for talking. Many find the lecture content pointless and prefer relying on labs or online resources for learning SolidWorks.

Topics

  • Descriptive geometry
  • Engineering drawing standards
  • Computer modeling
  • Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing

Skills

  • Computer-aided design (CAD) modeling
  • Engineering communication and specification
  • Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing

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 · 0.22 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
ME 231 · Fall 2026

Geometric Modeling for Design and Manufacturing

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": "1272:612:011945",
    "course_id": "ME 231",
    "course_uid": "course_419dcd7f2c6645e820d37c18",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "011945",
    "source_subject_id": "612",
    "title": "Geometric Modeling for Design and Manufacturing",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
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

View the dataset on Hugging Face
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": "022f860092bafa40ea0bcae1ee00b32e5e3f58705d597090fe495d791b82c4ae",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}