Current instructor

Colin Dewey

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

Raw average: 3.43/5 from 21 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

BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Colin is a solid professor with a well-organized course. However, I likely wouldn't take 576 again. It was a flipped format with monotone pre-recorded lectures, tedious homeworks, and long but not unfair exams. The resources for you to succeed are readily available, though, so the effort you put in will likely match your grade.
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BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Even as a CS major, some of the algorithms are difficult to understand. You need to put a LOT of time into watching the monotone lectures, but the content itself seems like it is useful and applicable to the real world. The HWs are hard so start early, but the exams were simplified handwritten versions of the HW and notebook problems.
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BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 4/5Difficulty 5/5
Prof. Dewey's class is extremely organized and information is displayed well with sufficient office hours offered. My only complaint is that the lectures are extremely monotone and boring. I struggle so much to get through the 20 minute pre-recorded lecture (full of crucial information) so much that I had to come write this review. HARD homework
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BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
If you enjoy paying $20 for yet another unnecessary cloud-based homework service where the assignments are the most tedious, annoying exercises ever (executing steps of computational algorithms by hand multiple times), then this is the professor for you. Exams are more of the same but with the added stress of a time limit.
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BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 1/5Difficulty 4/5
Professor speaks (and generally conducts himself) pedantically and condescendingly. Gave incorrect and ambiguous information about exams, including, but not limited to, length, format, and content. Would advise to avoid his class. Low averages on the exams.
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BMI/COMPSCI 576
Quality 1/5Difficulty 5/5
Professor Dewey provides no feedback on work, and then has difficult exams. Apathetic to students performance, and unhelpful when asked questions. Comparable difficulty to Algorithms, but for no reason.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Colin Dewey

A seminar for CIBM program trainees discussing current research in computation and informatics in biology and medicine.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.76 GPA, 84.2% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.93 GPA, 95.5% A/AB (n=22 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.89 GPA, 92.9% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

BMI 699 is an independent study course allowing students to pursue directed study beyond the standard curriculum.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample

BMI 899 is a pre-dissertator research course for graduate students preparing for dissertation work.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited sample

COMPSCI 699 offers directed study projects for junior and senior students arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026BIOCHEM/BME/BMI/CBE/COMPSCI/GENETICS 915Computation and Informatics in Biology and Medicine
Fall 2026BMI 699Independent Study
Fall 2026BMI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Fall 2026COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2026COMPSCI 790Master's Thesis
Fall 2026COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2026COMPSCI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Fall 2026COMPSCI 990Dissertation

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

Instructor identity & provenance
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