ECE-458
ENG SOFTWARE MAINTAINABILITY
Not in Fall 2026
Term
Overview
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that students say they actually learn something useful. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who want substance, not a disposable elective.
DepartmentELEC&CMP
Terms offeredSpring
Typical enrollment6–11
Semesters of data2
9.1
Hrs / week
14
Responses
17
Enrollment
82%
Response Rate
Evaluation Scores
Overall quality
Teaching, content, and experience combined.
4.8
Intellectually stimulating
Challenges students to think deeply.
4.8
Instructor effectiveness
Explains concepts and facilitates learning.
5.0
Difficulty
Higher means harder.
4.6
Feedback Analysis
Feedback Analysismedium
Analysis based on student evaluations
Based on 20 comments across 2 sections
Feedback is mostly positive. The strongest signal is that students say they actually learn something useful. Difficulty runs on the high side even without a single dominant complaint theme. Best for students who want substance, not a disposable elective.
Student Reports
How hard is the A?
Hard to get an A
Students repeatedly frame high grades as something you have to earn. This reads as hard to ace rather than casually easy, especially once the course pace or grading standards ramp up.
Homework Load
Heavy homework load
Homework load is one of the clearest friction points. Students repeatedly describe assignments, readings, or problem sets as time-consuming.
Lecture Load
Lighter lecture burden
Student comments describe this as more discussion-, seminar-, or workshop-driven than lecture-dependent. The lecture burden itself does not sound like the main source of friction.
Strengths
• Students repeatedly say the course teaches something concrete, whether that is content mastery, research skill, or a strong foundation.
• Readings, films, or outside materials come up repeatedly as a real strength rather than filler.
• Discussion is a clear strength; students repeatedly describe the class conversation as engaging and useful.
Tradeoffs
• Difficulty runs high even when comments do not settle on one dominant complaint.
Best fit for
Best for students who want substance, not a disposable elective.
Watch out for
• A large share of the evidence comes from one instructor's version of the course, so this may not generalize cleanly.
Student Responses
Software Engineering Technical Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Project Management Skills
Spring 2024 · Bletsch, Tyler
Full stack software, teamwork and insight into working in a software team, the importance of planning and software maintainaiblity
Spring 2024 · Bletsch, Tyler
I learned 1) How to set up my own server without relying on a cloud service where you just upload your code. We had full control over our VM 2) I learned how to implement O-Auth 3) I learned more about monitoring, and set up my own monitoring service to check the liveness of our site
Spring 2024 · Bletsch, Tyler
Concretely, I learned how to work full stack to develop a web application. This included plenty of new skills, such as interfacing databases, learning about network calls and routing, working with javascript frontend, etc. But the more important lessons I took from this class was how to work efficiently with a team on a large project. From logistical and organizational skills to communication skill, this class taught me many practical lessons to take to industry.
Spring 2024 · Bletsch, Tyler
I learned how to write more maintainable code, adjust to changing project requirements, and generally function in a work-like environment.
Spring 2024 · Bletsch, Tyler
Rating History
Rating history
Error bars show \u00B11 std dev
| Term | Instructor | Overall | Difficulty | Hrs/wk | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | Bletsch, Tyler 4.8Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.8Difficulty2.9Would retake95%Based on 44 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | — | — | 8.2 | 11 |
| Spring 2024 | Bletsch, Tyler 4.8Rate My ProfessorsQuality4.8Difficulty2.9Would retake95%Based on 44 ratingsClick to view on RMP → | 4.8 | 4.6 | 10.0 | 6 |
Instructor
Bletsch, TylerELEC&CMP
Also teaches
ECE-350L DIGITAL SYSTEMS4.5ECE-495 SPECIAL TOPICS4.6ECE-560 COMPUTER & INFO SECURITY4.7ECE-566 ENTERPRISE STORAGE ARCH4.7