Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Positions 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.

Class record · EESC · MCAS

EESC 1176

Living on the Coast · 1 instructor on record · 2 sections

What the course score is made of
79BC evaluations2 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2025 – 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
23rdMore challenging than 23% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
85BC — “Intellectually Challenging”2 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
25thMore work than 25% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
40BC — “Workload”2 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 introductory course explores the dynamic interactions between coastal processes and human societies. Students will investigate the physical, ecological, and social dimensions of coastal living, including the challenges and opportunities posed by coastal environments. The structure of the class will be split into two modules. The first will establish a shared understanding and basis of knowledge for all students on the processes that shape coastal landscapes. The second will delve into 5 case studies, where we will explore diverse coastal landscapes and the connections between coastal processes, hazards, built environments, and society. There will be weekly formative assessments in the form of quizzes or reading reflections to assess student learning and engagement with the material.

The only instructor on record

2 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
Kathleen WilsonEarth and Environmental Sciences Provisional812 records25th23rd

There is no ranking to read here: Kathleen Wilson is the only instructor with evaluation records for EESC 1176, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 2 records, which is thin — read it as provisional.

Also taught by Kathleen Wilson

6 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
EESC 2206Environmental Systems: Oceans39 records75
EESC 6691Earth Systems Seminar49 records79
EESC 5582Senior Environmental Geoscience Research Seminar I37 records79
EESC 2264Stratigraphy and Sedimentation12 records70
EESC 3535Coastal Geomorphology and Processes12 records88
EESC 5535Coastal Geomorphology and Processes12 records65

Other EESC classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
EESC 1720Crisis and Storytelling in the Age of Climate Change532 records74
EESC 2201Environmental Systems: The Human Footprint516 records72
EESC 1717Making the Modern World: Design, Ethics, and Engineering315 records82
EESC 1507Powering America: The Past and Future of Energy, Technology, and the Environment314 records80
EESC 1146Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth113 records77
EESC 1180The Living Earth I313 records67

The line

All 13 items · means across 2 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8615th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8922nd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8717th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9129th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8937th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8829th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8411th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8830th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9040th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8519th 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8523rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8936th 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

2 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Kathleen WilsonSpring 202601817840
Kathleen WilsonSpring 202501807940

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.