Class record · BIOL · MCAS

BIOL 4802

Research in Evolutionary Genomics · 1 instructor on record · 3 sections

What the course score is made of

96BC evaluations3 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Fall 2025

—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

60thMore challenging than 60% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

92BC — “Intellectually Challenging”3 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

78thMore work than 78% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

60BC — “Workload”3 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.

Satisfies the advanced experience requirement for the Biology major. This course will provide hands-on training in the collection and analysis of genome-scale data from non-model organisms. Students will learn good laboratory practices while learning protocols related to next-generation DNA sequencing. Students will also learn basic Linux/Unix computational skills and several bioinformatics tools that will be applied in managing and analyzing the massive amounts of data generated by this sequencing technology. Through data analyses and reviews of the primary literature, students will gain exposure to modern methods in phylogenetics and population genetics. This course is recommended for students interested in advanced topics in genomics and bioinformatics.

The only instructor on record

3 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
Jeffrey DacostaAssociate Professor of the Practice · Biology	943 records	78th	60th	7026 ratings · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Jeffrey Dacosta is the only instructor with evaluation records for BIOL 4802, so the number is a record, not a position. The RateMyProfessors figure is their overall score across everything they teach, not their score in this class.

Also taught by Jeffrey Dacosta

6 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
BIOL 2010Ecology and Evolution	222 records	79
BIOL 2300Biostatistics	317 records	83
BIOL 2050Gateway Biology Discussion I	211 records	83
BIOL 4110Ornithology	13 records	92
BIOL 4075Research in Molecular Phylogenetics	12 records	92
BIOL 4450Behavioral Ecology	12 records	92

Other BIOL classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
BIOL 2040Investigations in Molecular Cell Biology Lab	2176 records	87
BIOL 1310Anatomy and Physiology Lab 1	443 records	78
BIOL 1330Anatomy and Physiology Lab 2	443 records	76
BIOL 2210Microbiology for Health Professionals Laboratory	341 records	84
BIOL 4260Human Anatomy with Lab	135 records	86
BIOL 4330Human Physiology	128 records	85

The line

All 13 items · means across 3 records

The Professor4 items

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

100100th pctl

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

9455th pctl

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

9881st pctl

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

9985th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9677th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9680th pctl

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

9672nd pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9890th pctl

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

9569th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9356th 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.

6078th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9260th pctl

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

9990th 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

3 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Jeffrey Dacosta	Fall 2025	01	91	93	60
Jeffrey Dacosta	Fall 2023	01	95	100	—
Jeffrey Dacosta	Fall 2021	01	96	95	60

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.