Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Florian Florain Florian... CS400 as a course is so poorly structured but you managed to make it less of a dumpster fire. The group projects are probably the most uncoordinated efforts by the instructional staff so good luck. Otherwise Florian lectures clearly and was accessible outside of class. He also forgot about TopHat a lot lolRate My Professors ↗
Pretty nice teacher, lectures are slow but required via TopHat. 1 multiple choice quiz + 1 short coding assignment + 1 coding project is due every week which honestly was not that bad. Nice opportunity to gain 10 extra credit project points at the start of the semester as well. He is the type of professor I expected going into college, solid.Rate My Professors ↗
The professor is great—he explains everything extremely well. The exams are a bit tough for me, though. They tend to include tricky questions that require you to spot hidden traps. You'll walk out of the exam feeling like you absolutely aced it, but it turns out to be an ~80%. Decent enough, but not enough to secure you an A.Rate My Professors ↗
Pay attention and you'll be fine. He is very good at explaining concepts.Rate My Professors ↗
Florian's lectures are largely pointless. He describes everything he does in excruciatingly gruesomely minute detail without ever actually explaining anything. He gives no reason behind what he does, he just describes what he's doing. Also, why is he whispering at the end of every sentence? It just makes it hard to hear. He isn't Bob Ross.Rate My Professors ↗
His way of giving lectures--that overly indulgent, magnanimous speaking cadence--is so slow and grating that it is impossible to pay attention. Speaking slowly and verbosely only makes it harder to listen and more painfully slow and boring. I ended up skipping lectures because the class is very easy anyway.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
COMPSCI 400 (Programming III) covers advanced data structures, algorithms, and professional software design practices.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Florian Heimerl is described as a good lecturer but criticized for disorganization, including outdated syllabi, grading changes, and slow lectures. Reviewers report unresponsive support and chaotic group projects, with some calling him mediocre or the worst professor they have had.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | COMPSCI 400 | Programming III |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_84c317fdbc932162addaf020",
"source": "enrollment",
"source_instructor_id": "fheimerl",
"identity_basis": "netid",
"identity_status": "source_identified",
"name": "Florian Heimerl",
"email": "HEIMERL@CS.WISC.EDU",
"first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"ratings": {
"review_count": 73,
"quality": 3.15,
"difficulty": 3.15,
"quality_count": 73,
"difficulty_count": 73,
"profile_id": "rmp:2776309",
"source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2776309",
"match_basis": "exact_name",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:39:13.151836+00:00",
"courses": {
"course_583cd0f265d9f29704ca13ea": {
"review_count": 73,
"quality": 3.15,
"difficulty": 3.15,
"quality_count": 73,
"difficulty_count": 73
}
},
"bayesian_quality": 3.259609845923999,
"prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
"prior_weight": 20
},
"current": true,
"courses": [
{
"course_uid": "course_583cd0f265d9f29704ca13ea",
"course_id": "COMPSCI 400",
"title": "PROGRAMMING III",
"credits_min": 3,
"credits_max": 3,
"gpa": 3.319
}
],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/FLORIAN_HEIMERL"
}