# Kaiser Pister — Courses & Reviews | UW–Madison [View on UW Courses](https://uwcourses.com/instructors/KAISER_PISTER) ## Dataset ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### repository twangodev/uwcourses ### schema version 6 ### importer version 7 ### projection id 52a78527ff09011d88cb04c7d43867d9fbfec2930bf1dd2ec359ebd2844e0b07 ### observed at 2026-09-07T15:55:43.033547+00:00 ### built at 2026-09-10T19:50:42.743001+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 | ## instructor ### instructor uid instructor\_23e0a95dd7e065452a30a74c ### source enrollment ### source instructor id kpister ### identity basis netid ### identity status source\_identified ### name Kaiser Pister ### email KAISER\@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 15 #### quality 3 #### difficulty 4.2 #### quality count 15 #### difficulty count 15 #### profile id rmp:2871234 #### source url #### match basis exact\_name #### observed at 2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00 #### courses ##### course 72304a5f1ade48d79a193831 ###### review count 15 ###### quality 3 ###### difficulty 4.2 ###### quality count 15 ###### difficulty count 15 #### bayesian quality 3.376963304883769 #### prior mean 3.6596857835465957 #### prior weight 20 ### current true ### courses | course\_uid | course\_id | title | credits\_min | credits\_max | gpa | | -------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------ | ------------ | ------------ | ----- | | course\_87400c0728797946c5cef14c | COMPSCI 639 | UNDERGRADUATE ELECTIVE TOPICS IN COMPUTING | 3 | 4 | 3.585 | ### revision e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349 ### instructor url /instructors/KAISER\_PISTER ## history | term | course\_uid | course\_id | title | | ---- | -------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------------------------------------ | | 1272 | course\_87400c0728797946c5cef14c | COMPSCI 639 | UNDERGRADUATE ELECTIVE TOPICS IN COMPUTING | ## timeline | term | courses | | ---- | ------- | | 1272 | 1 | ## term 1272 ## courses ```json [ { "course_uid": "course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c", "course_id": "COMPSCI 639", "title": "UNDERGRADUATE ELECTIVE TOPICS IN COMPUTING", "credits_min": 3, "credits_max": 4, "gpa": 3.585, "badges": [], "description": "COMPSCI 639 is an undergraduate elective covering selected topics in computing, with specific content determined by the instructor for each offering.", "discovery": { "term": "1272", "offered": true, "history": { "counts": [ 1302, 430, 242, 73, 53, 10, 13 ], "count": 2123, "gpa": 3.6446066886481394, "topShare": 81.58266603862458, "firstTerm": "1224", "lastTerm": "1264" }, "instructors": [ { "course_uid": "course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c", "uid": "instructor_402c5e1526ed25ff5ab4777d", "name": "Louis Oliphant", "quality": 3.7750599301763215, "quality_count": 42, "instructor_url": "/instructors/LOUIS_OLIPHANT" }, { "course_uid": "course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c", "uid": "instructor_d9079dac81457262c1aa9c4e", "name": "Tengyang Xie", "quality": 3.4633507123150866, "quality_count": 2, "instructor_url": "/instructors/TENGYANG_XIE" }, { "course_uid": "course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c", "uid": "instructor_23e0a95dd7e065452a30a74c", "name": "Kaiser Pister", "quality": 3.376963304883769, "quality_count": 15, "instructor_url": "/instructors/KAISER_PISTER" }, { "course_uid": "course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c", "uid": "instructor_570635b99c1c1cbcfe9e05e1", "name": "Swamit Tannu", "quality": 3.0298346229192608, "quality_count": 18, "instructor_url": "/instructors/SWAMIT_TANNU" } ], "instructorHistory": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "courseComparison": { "counts": [ 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 ], "count": 0, "gpa": null, "topShare": null }, "claim": null, "reviewFiles": [ "/data/e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349/reviews/course_87400c0728797946c5cef14c-0.json" ] } } ] ``` ## reviews ### items ```json [ { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQzMDkyNDM3", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2026-05-11 15:50:55 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Kaiser is super understanding and nice. Lectures are easy to engage with and he encourages interactions in the class. The homework's can be a little hard but he's super helpful at office hours. The exams are usually very similar to the practice exams so it's not too hard to study for them.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 3 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQwODA1NTM0", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2025-03-23 20:05:06 +0000 UTC", "comment": "He gives absolutely no resources to learn from. Lectures are useless and don't teach you anything to complete the assignments. If you want to pass, you will have to learn using online resources. He also doesn't know how to teach. He doesn't post practice exam solutions, so you don't know if your doing the questions right or wrong.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 1, "difficulty_rating": 5 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTQwMjg1Nzg1", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2024-12-14 00:04:12 +0000 UTC", "comment": " this class isnt easy, i am not the smartest person in the world but i passed with a C, and i will tell you how i did that: kaiser is extremely flexible with deadlines and is very forgiving. he also is willing to sit down with you in office hours, as not many other profs do, and explain the projects and homework. Be for real ", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 5, "difficulty_rating": 5 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM5NjA1NTg4", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2024-07-02 16:43:14 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Kaiser is nice and fun but is a horrible teacher. Covers surface level content in class and then gives complex homework assignments that you willl be unprepared for. The final project was impossible without prior experience and students were told to \"stop whining\" after complaining on Piazza. You can ChatGPT a good grade, but don't expect to learn.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 1, "difficulty_rating": 4 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM5NDM0OTQ1", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2024-05-10 23:25:19 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Kaiser is not a good professor. He made the final project impossible, with content that was way out of the scope compared to lecture. I can't tell you how many people complained on piazza only to get told to \"stop whining\" and to \"figure out how to test your code\". He is unorganized, doesn't respond to emails, and has no clue how to use piazza.", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 2, "difficulty_rating": 4 }, { "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:27:47.397650+00:00", "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4", "source_review_id": "UmF0aW5nLTM5MzgwNjYx", "source_instructor_id": "rmp:2871234", "instructor_name": "Kaiser Pister", "course_label": "CS538", "course_id": "COMPSCI 538", "course_uid": "course_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831", "review_date": "2024-05-06 19:43:07 +0000 UTC", "comment": "Kaiser is a nice and fun lecturer, he's a smart guy but it feels like he was just given this class to teach because it was an open role. The lectures and homework are almost two different classes, causing you to learn content outside of class to finish hw. He also doesn't know canvas on how to set up a course page or proper grading distributions. ", "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2871234", "quality_rating": 2, "difficulty_rating": 4 } ] ``` ### total 15 ### page 1 ### courses | course\_uid | course\_id | | -------------------------------- | ----------- | | course\_72304a5f1ade48d79a193831 | COMPSCI 538 | ### matched true ## social Image true