Professor Bavafa really tries and that makes it fun. He would play a song at every class, and try to connect with us with examples and news. I found stats interesting with him, but the exam is definately harder. The other professor made a lot of videos for the exam though so it was ok. I liked lectures and would take this prof again for sure!Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Hessam Bavafa
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Bavafa is extremely funny and a nice, knowledgeable guy. 306 as a class kind of sucks, but his lectures were actually really interesting - I learned a lot. His lectures, however, were not representative of the final exam and its content (the case studies were also very tedious and annoying). In all, Bavafa is a great person and a decent teacher.Rate My Professors ↗
He was funny and made lectures entertaining, but I don't feel like I learned very much with him teaching.Rate My Professors ↗
Lectures with this guy are such a waste of time. He spends so much time "digressing" and giving recaps of past lectures, you don't have enough time to learn the new material. I haven't learned anything since he started teaching the course halfway through the semester (bring back Richard Crabb).Rate My Professors ↗
My absolute favorite professor so far here at UW-Madison. His lectures are so interactive and engaging. Genuinely knows how to captivate and engage the minds of his students.Rate My Professors ↗
Had him for the second half of GB306. I thought he explained concepts better than Prof. Crabb. He made sure students understood the concepts before moving on, which I appreciated. He's overall a nice guy and knows his stuff. He likes to use AI to create badger images, which was always fun.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Hessam Bavafa
Business Analytics I
3 creditsBusiness Analytics I teaches quantitative intuition, database visualization, probability, hypothesis testing, regression, and simulation for business decision-making.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Hessam Bavafa is praised for making lectures interesting and funny, teaching the material well, though one reviewer emphasized that attending lectures is necessary due to sparse slides. Conversely, reviewers criticize his slow email response times and lack of care for student grades, though others find him caring. One advised avoidance due to poor explanations, while another noted that case reports require time.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026OTM 399 is an independent reading and research course for undergraduates arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
OTM 990 is an independent research course for Ph.D. students to complete their dissertation requirement.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
OTM 999 is an individual reading and research course for Ph.D. students in Operations and Information Management.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2024 · limited sampleRecorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | GENBUS 306 | Business Analytics I |
| Fall 2026 | OTM 399 | Reading and Research-operations and Information Management |
| Fall 2026 | OTM 990 | Operations and Information Management-independent Research Ph.d. Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | OTM 999 | Reading and Research-operations and Information Management Phd |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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