Current instructor

Jake Vander Zanden

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.27/5 from 15 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

ZOO115 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Jake was one of my favorite professors this semester. He is extremely funny, making his lectures very fun. We took many small field trips, which allowed us to learn in the real world. Overall, great experience, would retake his classes!
Rate My Professors ↗
LIMN315 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Jake is a great guy with immense knowledge and passion for his craft. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in his class and would recommend him to anyone.
Rate My Professors ↗
ZOO510 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
I really enjoyed Prof. VZ and his lectures. He made class loads of fun, along with Prof. Lyons, and you can tell he is passionate about his area of study. Highly recommend taking his class!
Rate My Professors ↗
ZOO510 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Probably one of the best professors that I have ever had at UW-Madison. He is so smart and really loves exactly what he is teaching. If you love animals, especially fish, this is definitely the class for you! He really loves when you engage with lectures, so if you are curious about something feel free to ask questions. A pretty awesome guy overall
Rate My Professors ↗
ZOO510 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 3/5
Loved him. Made me really like fish ecology. Doesn't post his lecture slides so go to lecture.
Rate My Professors ↗
ZOO510 · course not matched
Quality 4/5Difficulty 2/5
Excellent professor, had him for limnology but he was even better for ecology of fishes. Kept lecture interesting and fair grading. Few easy papers and projects, and reasonable tests. Excellent zoology course.
Rate My Professors ↗

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

Classes with Jake Vander Zanden

ATMOCN/BOTANY/CIVENGR/ENVIRST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911

Limnology and Marine Science Seminar

1 credits

Limnology and Marine Science Seminar covers sections in various fields of zoological research.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Fall 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=14 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Jake Vander ZandenHilary Dugan+3 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
ZOOLOGY 299

Directed Studies in Zoology

1–3 credits

Directed Studies in Zoology offers directed study or independent research where students experience hypothesis development and research through faculty mentorship.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=4 letter grades).

Scott HartmanSharon Thoma+29 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample
ZOOLOGY 699

Directed Studies in Zoology

1–6 credits

Directed Studies in Zoology consists of selected research projects for juniors and seniors.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades); Spring 2024: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades); Spring 2026: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=7 letter grades).

Scott HartmanKaren Strier+52 more

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
ZOOLOGY 990

Research

1–9 credits

Advanced research in biology as part of graduate program requirements, arranged with mentoring faculty.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Karen StrierJeff Hardin+39 more

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027ATMOCN/BOTANY/CIVENGR/ENVIRST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911Limnology and Marine Science Seminar
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 299Directed Studies in Zoology
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 691Senior Thesis
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 692Senior Thesis
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 699Directed Studies in Zoology
Spring 2027ZOOLOGY 990Research
Fall 2026ATMOCN/BOTANY/CIVENGR/ENVIRST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911Limnology and Marine Science Seminar
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 115Freshwater: Past, Present, and Future
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 299Directed Studies in Zoology
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 691Senior Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 692Senior Thesis
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 699Directed Studies in Zoology
Fall 2026ZOOLOGY 990Research

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_b0204ac7d1eb0f92298b5145",
  "source": "enrollment",
  "source_instructor_id": "mjvanderzand",
  "identity_basis": "netid",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "Jake Vander Zanden",
  "email": "MJVANDERZAND@WISC.EDU",
  "first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
  "last_observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
  "ratings": {
    "review_count": 15,
    "quality": 4.27,
    "difficulty": 2.73,
    "quality_count": 15,
    "difficulty_count": 15,
    "profile_id": "rmp:762027",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/762027",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 19:08:50.254285+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_0997024aa4ed7f1025c826a4": {
        "review_count": 1,
        "quality": 3,
        "difficulty": 5,
        "quality_count": 1,
        "difficulty_count": 1
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 3.920967760283697,
    "prior_mean": 3.65919358049647,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": true,
  "courses": [
    {
      "course_uid": "course_44b929ea5e2ec386a45f71f0",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 299",
      "title": "DIRECTED STUDIES IN ZOOLOGY",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 3,
      "gpa": 3.99
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_83b787e18c7a55e8228e0625",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 681",
      "title": "SENIOR HONORS THESIS",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 6,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_9802a76f2e676ef12ea60592",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 682",
      "title": "SENIOR HONORS THESIS",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 4,
      "gpa": 3.923
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_99896f8bf4a820406be46d1c",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 990",
      "title": "RESEARCH",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 9,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_a51af05d92ecc8be5ff1cdec",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 691",
      "title": "SENIOR THESIS",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 6,
      "gpa": null
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_badd875c17794c6d21deb805",
      "course_id": "ATMOCN/BOTANY/CIVENGR/ENVIRST/GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 911",
      "title": "LIMNOLOGY AND MARINE SCIENCE SEMINAR",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 1,
      "gpa": 3.998
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_c7911cf4ed9adf4f70e4ddcd",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 692",
      "title": "SENIOR THESIS",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 4,
      "gpa": 4
    },
    {
      "course_uid": "course_dec271f294e619e652e01aed",
      "course_id": "ZOOLOGY 699",
      "title": "DIRECTED STUDIES IN ZOOLOGY",
      "credits_min": 1,
      "credits_max": 6,
      "gpa": 3.976
    }
  ],
  "revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/JAKE_VANDER_ZANDEN"
}