Historical instructor

CARL SOVINEC

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.00/5 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.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

EP 271
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Flipped lecture learning, he'll be upset if you do not participate and ask questions during class when working... which is fair but it was an 8am with attendance. The homeworks don't take up too much time. Exams were straightforward. You will learn a lot if you try
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EP 271
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
I think prof. Sovinec is a great guy that cares about his students. But EP271 as a class needs to be fixed. If you have never coded before you will be learning about python for the first time by doing some of the most difficult math you have probably ever seen. The emphasis is more on the math than it is the coding and that made it really hard
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EP 271
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
If you want to take a class where the only instructions you get are by following terrible examples on canvas than this is the professor for you. Lectures were all online, and far too long for little information. The course is supposed to be about understanding Maple and Python, yet the professor makes the focus on the math instead.
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EP 271
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Professor Sovinec clearly loves his students and what he does. I think this class could be structured a lot better though. For many engineering students this is the first programming class, but it seems knowledge of Python and calculus is necessary to do well. The exams are easy so a lot of students got by on group hw and collaborated on quizzes
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EP 271
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Professor is nice - class is not. Despite being an intro class, you "learn" python by trying to solve neutron flux and other equations you don't understand. I wish the curriculum was better suited for the level of the class because I'm sure I would have enjoyed it if that was the case.
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EP 271
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Math222 is the only prerequisite, but much of the class is solving diff equations using matrices (though math320 doesn't prepare). Both the mathematical background and the programming skills are underdeveloped in the lecture videos (even though the class is inperson), which are pretty dry. Still, Carl is a nice guy and the class is useful elsewhere
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with CARL SOVINEC

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

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Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

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Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2024ECE/NE/PHYSICS 922Seminar in Plasma Physics
Spring 2024EMA/EP 548Engineering Analysis II
Spring 2024NE 790Master's Research and Thesis
Spring 2024NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2024NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2023ECE/NE/PHYSICS 724Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas
Fall 2023EP 271Engineering Problem Solving I
Fall 2023NE 790Master's Research and Thesis
Fall 2023NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2023NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2023EMA/EP 548Engineering Analysis II
Spring 2023NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2023NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2022EP 271Engineering Problem Solving I
Fall 2022NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2022NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2022ECE/NE/PHYSICS 527Plasma Confinement and Heating
Spring 2022EP 476Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
Spring 2022NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2022NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2021ECE/NE/PHYSICS 525Introduction to Plasmas
Fall 2021EP 271Engineering Problem Solving I
Fall 2021NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2021NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2020EP 271Engineering Problem Solving I
Fall 2020NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2020NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2020EP 476Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
Spring 2020NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2019ECE/NE/PHYSICS 725Plasma Kinetic Theory and Radiation Processes
Fall 2019NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2019ECE/NE/PHYSICS 527Plasma Confinement and Heating
Spring 2019NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2019NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2018ECE/NE/PHYSICS 525Introduction to Plasmas
Fall 2018NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2018NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2018ECE/NE/PHYSICS 922Seminar in Plasma Physics
Spring 2018EMA/EP 471Intermediate Problem Solving for Engineers
Spring 2018NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2018NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2017ECE/NE/PHYSICS 724Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas
Fall 2017NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2017NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2017ECE/NE/PHYSICS 525Introduction to Plasmas
Spring 2017EP 468Introduction to Engineering Research
Spring 2017EP 469Research Proposal in Engineering Physics
Spring 2017EP 568Research Practicum in Engineering Physics I
Spring 2017NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2017NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2016EP 468Introduction to Engineering Research
Fall 2016EP 469Research Proposal in Engineering Physics
Fall 2016EP 568Research Practicum in Engineering Physics I
Fall 2016NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2016NE 903Special Topics-plasma Physics
Fall 2016NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2016ECE/NE/PHYSICS 724Waves and Instabilities in Plasmas
Spring 2016NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2016NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2015ECE/NE/PHYSICS 725Plasma Kinetic Theory and Radiation Processes
Fall 2015NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2015NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2015EMA/EP 471Intermediate Problem Solving for Engineers
Spring 2015NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2015NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2014ECE/NE/PHYSICS 725Plasma Kinetic Theory and Radiation Processes
Fall 2014ECE/NE/PHYSICS 922Seminar in Plasma Physics
Fall 2014NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2014NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2014ECE/NE/PHYSICS 525Introduction to Plasmas
Spring 2014EP 476Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
Spring 2014NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2014NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2013NE 699Advanced Independent Study
Fall 2013NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2013ECE/NE/PHYSICS 726Plasma Magnetohydrodynamics
Spring 2013NE 699Advanced Independent Study
Spring 2013NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2012ECE/NE 528Plasma Processing and Technology
Fall 2012ECE/NE/PHYSICS 525Introduction to Plasmas
Fall 2012NE 790Master's Research and Thesis
Fall 2012NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2012EP 476Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
Spring 2012NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2012NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2011EMA 605Introduction to Finite Elements
Fall 2011NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2011NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2011EMA/EP 471Intermediate Problem Solving for Engineers
Spring 2011NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2011NE 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2010ECE/NE/PHYSICS 726Plasma Magnetohydrodynamics
Fall 2010EP 568Research Practicum in Engineering Physics I
Fall 2010EP 569Research Practicum in Engineering Physics II
Fall 2010NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Fall 2010NE 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2010EP 476Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics
Spring 2010EP 568Research Practicum in Engineering Physics I
Spring 2010NE 890Pre-dissertator's Research
Spring 2010NE 903Special Topics-plasma Physics

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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