Historical instructor

Sean Palecek

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.31/5 from 13 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

CBE 250
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Thoroughly enjoyed 250, as long as you pay attention in class and occasionally go to discussion or office hours when stuck or confused, then you should do well.
Rate My Professors ↗
CBE 250
Quality 4/5Difficulty 4/5
Really well explained concepts. Sometimes midterms can be a curve ball. Pay attention in lectures because Prof. Palecek doesn't post notes!
Rate My Professors ↗
CBE 250
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
For the first real class in the major, I'm really glad I had Dr. Palacek. He was always a very clear explainer, was accessible out of class, and was always willing to explain areas which I had trouble with. The grading was also quite generous in the class which certainly helped. He doesn't teach 250 often, but if you have the opportunity, take him.
Rate My Professors ↗
CBE 250
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
Very good professor, I'm rather surprised by how inattentive the class is given that it is chemical engineering class. I'm actually doing worse than most people even though I'm trying to pay attention, it's clear that he gets frustrated by how noisy the class is. I think he is a good professor but It's hard to pay attention when everyone is talking
Rate My Professors ↗
CBE 250
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Professor Palecek is easily one of my favorite professors here at UW. Although the course is extremely homework-heavy (sometimes taking up an entire day to do) his lectures were entertaining and enjoyable, his exams were engaging and very well written, and he cares a lot about his students. Additionally, he was very available outside of class.
Rate My Professors ↗
CBE 250
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Palecek is one of my favorite professors at UW. His lectures, homework, and exams were tough but always reasonable and helpful. He was always available & willing to help in and out of class. He was also super flexible with the challenges of a COVID semester & online learning. I highly recommend taking Palecek if you have the chance.
Rate My Professors ↗

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

Classes with Sean Palecek

No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.

No courses match this selection. Try the full catalog or another term.

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle

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

Instructor identity & provenance
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_f37200cef9251e5c358c8e69",
  "source": "legacy",
  "source_instructor_id": null,
  "identity_basis": "name_only",
  "identity_status": "unresolved",
  "name": "Sean Palecek",
  "email": "SPPALECEK@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": 13,
    "quality": 4.31,
    "difficulty": 3.77,
    "quality_count": 13,
    "difficulty_count": 13,
    "profile_id": "rmp:1267141",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1267141",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:06:30.761975+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_615ffa9f09a63710d1f4a9cb": {
        "review_count": 12,
        "quality": 4.33,
        "difficulty": 3.75,
        "quality_count": 12,
        "difficulty_count": 12
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 3.9158701718464215,
    "prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": false,
  "courses": [],
  "revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/SEAN_PALECEK--instructor_f37200cef9251e5c358c8e69"
}