Historical instructor

Shivaram Venkataraman

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.91/5 from 45 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

COMPSCI 537
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
One of the best professors I have seen in the Computer Science department! Shivaram explains things very well and makes a difficult class like OS manageable. If the textbook content got confusing, watching his lectures was helpful because he breaks a complex problem into simple steps that actually help you understand the entire thing.
Rate My Professors ↗
COMPSCI 744
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Shivaram extracts the core concepts behind each paper discussed and creates an inclusive atmosphere. You read two 15-20 page papers each week (which can be a lot), one for each lecture. Final project relates to one of the areas covered during the class and is not too bad. Difficulty appropriate for grad student, possibly much for undergrad.
Rate My Professors ↗

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

Classes with Shivaram Venkataraman

COMPSCI 682

Senior Honors Thesis

3 credits

Individual study for seniors completing theses for honors in the Computer Sciences major, continuing COMP SCI 681.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026 · Sources

Shivaram VenkataramanFred Sala+19 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample
COMPSCI 699

Directed Study

1–6 credits

Directed study projects for Computer Science juniors and seniors, arranged with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Fall 2026 · Sources

Shivaram VenkataramanFred Sala+59 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2022–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Fall 2026COMPSCI 681Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026COMPSCI 682Senior Honors Thesis
Fall 2026COMPSCI 699Directed Study
Fall 2026COMPSCI 790Master's Thesis
Fall 2026COMPSCI 799Master's Research
Fall 2026COMPSCI 899Pre-dissertator Research
Fall 2026COMPSCI 990Dissertation

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
{
  "instructor_uid": "instructor_8bef2ed1a9e069c7181ff8b7",
  "source": "enrollment",
  "source_instructor_id": "svenkataram2",
  "identity_basis": "netid",
  "identity_status": "source_identified",
  "name": "Shivaram Venkataraman",
  "email": "SHIVARAM@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": 45,
    "quality": 4.91,
    "difficulty": 3.96,
    "quality_count": 45,
    "difficulty_count": 45,
    "profile_id": "rmp:2423043",
    "source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2423043",
    "match_basis": "exact_name",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-29 23:17:12.806200+00:00",
    "courses": {
      "course_79e5479d9eb1286e8642b399": {
        "review_count": 39,
        "quality": 4.9,
        "difficulty": 3.92,
        "quality_count": 39,
        "difficulty_count": 39
      },
      "course_8c0399ef1c8361bc30a76c02": {
        "review_count": 5,
        "quality": 5,
        "difficulty": 4,
        "quality_count": 5,
        "difficulty_count": 5
      },
      "course_de12e29109d0c90ee086fcec": {
        "review_count": 1,
        "quality": 5,
        "difficulty": 5,
        "quality_count": 1,
        "difficulty_count": 1
      }
    },
    "bayesian_quality": 4.524849813155411,
    "prior_mean": 3.658261892755085,
    "prior_weight": 20
  },
  "current": false,
  "courses": [],
  "revision": "c9cd06eaa45f9ddf7e69faa38b89ff3d3dd995dd",
  "instructor_url": "/instructors/SHIVARAM_VENKATARAMAN--instructor_8bef2ed1a9e069c7181ff8b7"
}