Current instructor

Irwin Goldman

Adjusted rating

RMP difficulty

captured reviews

About this rating

Raw average: 4.71/5 from 35 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

PLANTSCI 3502026-04-07

Quality 5/5Difficulty 1/5

he's a really good lecturer and makes the content really interesting. the class itself is really easy, all the content is from lecture and there's no outside readings.

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PLANTSCI 3502026-01-29

Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5

PLANTSCI350=HORT350. Irwin is a wonderful professor in my opinion. The content in this class was very interesting and I still think of some of the topics daily. The lectures are definitely long but by midway through the semester he started letting us go 15-30 minutes early everyday. You do have to study hard for exams, but are they are doable.

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BIOCORE 3812025-12-21

Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5

Irwin was fantastic; he is the best of the 381 professors. His evolution unit was captivating and he made me excited to go to lecture, and his exam content of evolution was not too difficult. He did spend multiple lectures talking about Darwin and his life which is not very relevant to the course or exam but he still made it interesting

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HORT350 · course not matched2025-12-17

Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5

Super nice guy! Definitely is passionate about what he teaches the only downside in my class was the exams were all short answer and pretty hard. We also couldn't see our overall grade the whole semester.

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HORT350 · course not matched2025-12-15

Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5

I really enjoyed this class, even though it something that I don't need for my major. Irwin is my favorite teacher I have had so far, as he reminds me of a fun grandpa. He is really sweet, and really enjoys what he is talking about. I would highly recommend taking this class just for fun.

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HORT350 · course not matched2024-05-28

Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5

Horticulture 350 was my favorite class taken at UW Madison so far. All of the lectures were very interesting and made me think critically about the world around me. Also this class is not just limited to horticulture but the lectures encompass many other academic fields philosophy, chemistry, etc. I would definitely recommend taking this class!!

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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Irwin Goldman

PLANTSCI 299

Independent Study

1–3 credits

Independent study involving research work under direct faculty guidance in Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, where students arrange work and credits with their supervisor.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Irwin Goldman Shawn Kaeppler+23 more

No recorded grade history

PLANTSCI 390

Fruit and Vegetable Crop Science

3 credits

A survey of fruit and vegetable crop production focusing on commercial temperate fruits and global vegetable science, covering origin, culture, physiology, and sustainable management.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Irwin Goldman Amaya Atucha Rossi+1 more

No recorded grade history

PLANTSCI 699

Special Problems

1–4 credits

Special Problems: Independent research in Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences arranged with a supervising instructor.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Irwin Goldman Shawn Kaeppler+24 more

No recorded grade history

PLANTSCI 799

Practicum in Plant Sciences Teaching

1–3 credits

A practicum in Plant Sciences Teaching providing instructional orientation, supervised direct teaching experience, student evaluation practice, and teaching performance analysis in agricultural and life sciences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Irwin Goldman Sarah Kezar

No recorded grade history

PLANTSCI 990

Research

1–12 credits

Independent research and writing for graduate students under faculty supervision, focusing on plant science and technology.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Irwin Goldman Shawn Kaeppler+23 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →

Browse recorded courses

Term	Course	Title
Spring 2027	PLANTSCI 299	Independent Study
Spring 2027	PLANTSCI 390	Fruit and Vegetable Crop Science
Spring 2027	PLANTSCI 699	Special Problems
Spring 2027	PLANTSCI 799	Practicum in Plant Sciences Teaching
Spring 2027	PLANTSCI 990	Research
Fall 2026	BIOCORE 381	Evolution, Ecology, and Genetics
Fall 2026	PLANTSCI 299	Independent Study
Fall 2026	PLANTSCI 350	Plants and Human Wellbeing
Fall 2026	PLANTSCI 351	A Deeper Look at Plants and Human Wellbeing
Fall 2026	PLANTSCI 699	Special Problems
Fall 2026	PLANTSCI 990	Research

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

Instructor identity & provenance

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