Class record · BIOL · MCAS

BIOL 5040

Topics in Developmental Biology · 1 instructor on record · 4 sections

What the course score is made of

93BC evaluations4 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

79thMore challenging than 79% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

95BC — “Intellectually Challenging”4 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

43rdMore work than 43% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

53BC — “Workload”4 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. BIOL3320 Developmental Biology or BIOL4050 Evolution and Development recommended but not required. The field of molecular developmental biology asks: How do molecules and cells coordinate and function to produce organisms? How can these processes be modified in the context of disease and evolutionary change? With the goal of better understanding current research in the field of developmental biology, we will read primary literature focusing on a variety of techniques (molecular, cellular, genetic, biochemical) and numerous systems (tissue culture, mouse, fly, frog, zebrafish, and others). The course will focus on developing students' ability to comprehend and critically evaluate recent primarily literature, present scientific perspectives, and actively participate in scientific dialogue.

The only instructor on record

4 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
Sarah McmenaminAssociate Professor · Biology	964 records	43rd	79th	1001 rating · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Sarah Mcmenamin is the only instructor with evaluation records for BIOL 5040, 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 Sarah Mcmenamin

2 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
BIOL 4050Evolution and Development	13 records	88
BIOL 4500Investigations in Biological Research	11 record	78

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 4 records

The Professor4 items

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

9987th pctl

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

9987th pctl

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

9987th pctl

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

9984th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9887th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9681st pctl

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

9783rd pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9891st pctl

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

9885th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9888th 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.

5343rd pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9579th pctl

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

100100th 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

4 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Sarah Mcmenamin	Fall 2025	01	93	92	60
Sarah Mcmenamin	Fall 2024	01	94	88	40
Sarah Mcmenamin	Fall 2023	01	98	93	—
Sarah Mcmenamin	Fall 2021	01	100	98	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.