Class record · BIOL · MCAS

BIOL 2050

Gateway Biology Discussion I · 2 instructors on record · 11 sections

What the course score is made of

83BC evaluations11 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

—Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute

—RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of

2ndMore challenging than 2% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

73BC — “Intellectually Challenging”11 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of

2ndMore work than 2% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

29BC — “Workload”11 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

This one-credit discussion course supports Gateway students enrolled in BIOL2010 through discussion and review of course material, practicing evidence-based study skills, and building a feeling of community within the larger lecture course. Attendance and active participation are required as is concurrent enrollment in BIOL2010.

The board

2 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 2

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
1	Heather OlinsBiology	9210 records	2nd	2nd	7833 ratings · all classes
2	Jeffrey DacostaAssociate Professor of the Practice · Biology Provisional	801 record	0th	1st	7026 ratings · all classes

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse. 1 of 2 rows are marked provisional: fewer than 3 records stand behind the number. That is thin evidence, not a bad instructor — the record count is in every row. The RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 11 records

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9562nd pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

9238th pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9242nd pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9340th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

8730th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

8934th pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

8717th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

8939th pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9360th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9146th pctl

Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings

WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.

292nd pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

732nd pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9357th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

11 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Jeffrey Dacosta	Spring 2026	01	80	72	20
Heather Olins	Fall 2025	01	89	80	20
Heather Olins	Fall 2025	02	91	84	—
Heather Olins	Fall 2024	01	90	88	40
Heather Olins	Fall 2024	02	86	69	40
Heather Olins	Fall 2023	01	98	96	—
Heather Olins	Fall 2023	02	93	84	—
Heather Olins	Fall 2022	03	95	85	20
Heather Olins	Fall 2022	04	97	93	—
Heather Olins	Fall 2021	01	87	82	40
Heather Olins	Fall 2021	02	91	86	20

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.