# Jin-Yi Cai — Courses & Reviews | UW–Madison

[View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/instructors/JIN-YI_CAI--instructor_b3d57c86982f38e337f40a96)

## Dataset

### search projection

#### version

1

#### terms

* 1272
* 1264
* 1262
* 1254
* 1252
* 1244
* 1242
* 1234
* 1232
* 1224
* 1222
* 1212
* 1204
* 1202
* 1194
* 1192
* 1184
* 1182
* 1174
* 1172
* 1164
* 1162
* 1154
* 1152
* 1144
* 1142
* 1134
* 1132
* 1124
* 1122
* 1114
* 1112
* 1104
* 1102
* 1094
* 1092
* 1084
* 1082
* 1074
* 1072

### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

### repository

twangodev/uwcourses

### schema version

6

### importer version

8

### projection id

7eb94c60c31fe3d8ae732986b7f3d069e1345ae92fd6239119e63b9d2461969d

### observed at

2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00

### built at

2026-10-01T19:10:41.241229+00:00

### courses

8951

### current instructors

5754

### limited

false

### terms

* 1272
* 1264
* 1262
* 1254
* 1252
* 1244
* 1242
* 1234
* 1232
* 1224
* 1222
* 1212
* 1204
* 1202
* 1194
* 1192
* 1184
* 1182
* 1174
* 1172
* 1164
* 1162
* 1154
* 1152
* 1144
* 1142
* 1134
* 1132
* 1124
* 1122
* 1114
* 1112
* 1104
* 1102
* 1094
* 1092
* 1084
* 1082
* 1074
* 1072

### term

1272

### departments

| subject   | count |
| --------- | ----- |
| AAE       | 90    |
| ABT       | 20    |
| ACCTIS    | 36    |
| ACTSCI    | 14    |
| AFAERO    | 10    |
| AFRICAN   | 87    |
| AFROAMER  | 71    |
| AGROECOL  | 21    |
| AMERIND   | 53    |
| ANAT\&PHY | 7     |
| ANATOMY   | 2     |
| ANESTHES  | 8     |
| ANSCI     | 57    |
| ANTHRO    | 95    |
| ART       | 125   |
| ARTED     | 10    |
| ARTHIST   | 121   |
| ASIALANG  | 129   |
| ASIAN     | 109   |
| ASIANAM   | 28    |
| ASTRON    | 38    |
| ATMOCN    | 69    |
| BIOCHEM   | 51    |
| BIOCORE   | 10    |
| BIOLOGY   | 14    |
| BIOMDSCI  | 18    |
| BME       | 66    |
| BMI       | 41    |
| BMOLCHEM  | 10    |
| BOTANY    | 69    |
| BSE       | 44    |
| C\&ESOC   | 73    |
| CBE       | 48    |
| CHEM      | 101   |
| CHICLA    | 52    |
| CIVENGR   | 133   |
| CLASSICS  | 47    |
| CNP       | 10    |
| CNSRSCI   | 50    |
| COMARTS   | 137   |
| COMPBIO   | 15    |
| COMPLIT   | 11    |
| COMPSCI   | 138   |
| COUNPSY   | 78    |
| CRB       | 19    |
| CS\&D     | 71    |
| CSCS      | 40    |
| CURRIC    | 193   |
| DANCE     | 93    |
| DERM      | 8     |
| DS        | 88    |
| DYSCI     | 35    |
| ECE       | 155   |
| ECON      | 145   |
| EDPOL     | 114   |
| EDPSYCH   | 97    |
| ELPA      | 70    |
| EMA       | 53    |
| EMERMED   | 17    |
| ENGL      | 206   |
| ENTOM     | 40    |
| ENVIRST   | 148   |
| EP        | 15    |
| EPD       | 67    |
| ESL       | 16    |
| F\&WECOL  | 60    |
| FAMMED    | 22    |
| FINANCE   | 50    |
| FOLKLORE  | 40    |
| FOODSCI   | 43    |
| FRENCH    | 63    |
| GEN\&WS   | 145   |
| GENBUS    | 72    |
| GENECSLR  | 17    |
| GENETICS  | 60    |
| GEOG      | 113   |
| GEOSCI    | 83    |
| GERMAN    | 82    |
| GLE       | 48    |
| GNS       | 38    |
| GREEK     | 27    |
| HDFS      | 41    |
| HEBR-BIB  | 13    |
| HEBR-MOD  | 10    |
| HISTORY   | 233   |
| HISTSCI   | 56    |
| HONCOL    | 13    |
| ILS       | 43    |
| INFOSYS   | 9     |
| INTEGART  | 7     |
| INTEGSCI  | 22    |
| INTER-AG  | 18    |
| INTER-HE  | 11    |
| INTER-LS  | 22    |
| INTEREGR  | 16    |
| INTLBUS   | 21    |
| INTLST    | 50    |
| ISYE      | 83    |
| ITALIAN   | 53    |
| JEWISH    | 56    |
| JOURN     | 88    |
| KINES     | 128   |
| LACIS     | 26    |
| LANDARC   | 61    |
| LATIN     | 24    |
| LAW       | 120   |
| LEGALST   | 48    |
| LINGUIS   | 35    |
| LIS       | 89    |
| LITTRANS  | 78    |
| LSC       | 52    |
| M\&ENVTOX | 7     |
| MARKETNG  | 62    |
| MATH      | 153   |
| MDGENET   | 8     |
| ME        | 130   |
| MEDHIST   | 43    |
| MEDICINE  | 60    |
| MEDIEVAL  | 32    |
| MEDPHYS   | 39    |
| MEDSC-M   | 29    |
| MEDSC-V   | 41    |
| MHR       | 68    |
| MICROBIO  | 45    |
| MILSCI    | 16    |
| MM\&I     | 22    |
| MOLBIOL   | 6     |
| MS\&E     | 59    |
| MUSIC     | 165   |
| MUSPERF   | 126   |
| NAVSCI    | 20    |
| NE        | 44    |
| NEURODPT  | 11    |
| NEUROL    | 7     |
| NEURSURG  | 4     |
| NTP       | 11    |
| NURSING   | 111   |
| NUTRSCI   | 65    |
| OBS\&GYN  | 18    |
| OCCTHER   | 39    |
| ONCOLOGY  | 14    |
| OPHTHALM  | 5     |
| OTM       | 43    |
| PATH      | 34    |
| PATH-BIO  | 29    |
| PEDIAT    | 26    |
| PHARMACY  | 31    |
| PHILOS    | 77    |
| PHMCOL-M  | 11    |
| PHMPRAC   | 45    |
| PHMSCI    | 60    |
| PHYASST   | 37    |
| PHYSICS   | 88    |
| PHYSIOL   | 3     |
| PHYTHER   | 37    |
| PLANTSCI  | 52    |
| PLPATH    | 35    |
| POLISCI   | 192   |
| POPHLTH   | 58    |
| PORTUG    | 33    |
| PSYCH     | 101   |
| PSYCHIAT  | 22    |
| PUBAFFR   | 54    |
| PUBLHLTH  | 23    |
| RADIOL    | 11    |
| REALEST   | 41    |
| RELIGST   | 90    |
| RHABMED   | 9     |
| RMI       | 24    |
| RP\&SE    | 102   |
| S\&APHM   | 17    |
| SCANDST   | 73    |
| SLAVIC    | 89    |
| SOC       | 149   |
| SOCWORK   | 87    |
| SOILSCI   | 46    |
| SPANISH   | 83    |
| SRMED     | 21    |
| STAT      | 94    |
| STDYABRD  | 52    |
| STS       | 8     |
| SURGERY   | 25    |
| SURGSCI   | 33    |
| THEATRE   | 91    |
| URBRPL    | 60    |
| UROLOGY   | 5     |
| ZOOLOGY   | 89    |

### designations

None recorded.

## instructor

### instructor uid

instructor\_b3d57c86982f38e337f40a96

### source

legacy

### identity basis

name\_only

### identity status

unresolved

### name

Jin-Yi Cai

### email

JYC\@CS.WISC.EDU

### first observed at

2025-12-03 12:33:41.418072+00:00

### last observed at

2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00

### ratings

#### review count

31

#### quality

3.19

#### difficulty

4.29

#### quality count

31

#### difficulty count

31

#### profile id

rmp:425160

#### source url

<https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160>

#### match basis

exact\_name

#### observed at

2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00

#### courses

##### course 1789820d64d4298321fc24d2

###### review count

22

###### quality

3.45

###### difficulty

4.18

###### quality count

22

###### difficulty count

22

##### course de12e29109d0c90ee086fcec

###### review count

9

###### quality

2.56

###### difficulty

4.56

###### quality count

9

###### difficulty count

9

#### bayesian quality

3.3741905033516058

#### prior mean

3.6596857835465957

#### prior weight

20

### current

false

### courses

None recorded.

### revision

e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349

### instructor url

/instructors/JIN-YI\_CAI--instructor\_b3d57c86982f38e337f40a96

## history

None recorded.

## timeline

None recorded.

## term

1272

## courses

None recorded.

## reviews

### items

```json
[
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQxMzEyMDkz",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-05-17 18:43:18 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Very charismatic and funny lecturer who's clearly passionate about the material. The exams are good in difficulty: hard enough to require some on-site creative thinking and not just memorization, but nothing impossible to do. He also takes informal arguments and gives full points for answers even if they're lacking in rigor.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 5,
    "difficulty_rating": 4
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQxMjk2OTYw",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-05-15 21:19:24 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "He's so difficult, and the average on the final exam was in the 40s, tells you all you need to know about this class and his way of teaching.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 4
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQxMjU5NDQw",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-05-12 23:41:51 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Very unfair professor. Makes material impossible to understand. Gives an insane amount of homework, but the homework is not useful in preparing for the finals. And despite the final seeming to be not that difficult, he grades insanely strictly and will absolutely crash your grade for seemingly no reason. Avoid at all costs.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 5
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQxMjAxNzAy",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-05-07 22:49:16 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Avoid at all costs&#8212;take 577 without him. He attempts to teach theoretical CS, but he's difficult to understand because his speech is muffled by a mask and he speaks too quickly. He explains concepts poorly and never goes over the examples you'll see on exams or in homework. Lectures are useless and you'll have to teach yourself the content.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 4
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQxMTEzNzM0",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-05-01 04:25:52 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Absolutely nightmarish terrible. I would've put 'Participation matters' as a tag if it weren't for the fact that his lectures are nightmarishly hard to understand. Terrible handwriting, style, squeaky chalkboard, seating, oratory skills, grading difficulty, attendance is a mystery, etc. It's bad when you're FORCED to 3rd party sites just to learn.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 5
  },
  {
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:32:18.695800+00:00",
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQwNzg3NDAx",
    "source_instructor_id": "rmp:425160",
    "instructor_name": "Jin-Yi Cai",
    "course_label": "CS520",
    "course_id": "COMPSCI 520",
    "course_uid": "course_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2",
    "review_date": "2025-03-19 02:38:39 +0000 UTC",
    "comment": "Has ability to make some of the most intuitive topics 10x harder during lecture with vague jargon, often not understanding a single word in lecture and going home to watch hours worth of videos to stay afloat. HWs are graded easily but tests are graded hard to the point HW feedback barely matters. Also, extends class 5 minutes after bell every day.",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/425160",
    "quality_rating": 1,
    "difficulty_rating": 5
  }
]
```

### total

31

### page

1

### courses

| course\_uid                      | course\_id  |
| -------------------------------- | ----------- |
| course\_1789820d64d4298321fc24d2 | COMPSCI 520 |
| course\_de12e29109d0c90ee086fcec | COMPSCI 577 |

### matched

true

## social Image

false