Class record · ENGL · MCAS

ENGL 4201

Science Writing · 1 instructor on record · 6 sections

What the course score is made of

78BC evaluations6 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2022 – 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

7thMore challenging than 7% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

80BC — “Intellectually Challenging”6 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”6 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.

From driverless cars to gene therapy to cryptocurrency, the latest scientific and technological breakthroughs promise to transform life as we know it. When science moves from the laboratory, to corporate boardrooms, to news headlines, and into our daily lives, writing is involved in every step along the way. In this course, we will read works created by and about scientists, and explore how science circulates through society via social media and blog posts, traditional media, and government policy making. We'll also examine how companies communicate with the public via press releases, the media, and advertisements. In written and oral assignments, students will practice the skills essential for success in writing about science--researching and reporting, interviewing scientists, pitching new ideas, understanding audience expectations, and clearly communicating essential knowledge. Students will have multiple opportunities to conceive, draft, revise, and complete writing projects tailored to diverse audiences. This course aims to help students understand and explore science writing as a career--including opportunities in media, research labs, university news offices, museums, science and technology focused companies, and many other venues.

The only instructor on record

6 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge
Sarah SuttonEnglish	796 records	25th	7th

There is no ranking to read here: Sarah Sutton is the only instructor with evaluation records for ENGL 4201, so the number is a record, not a position.

Also taught by Sarah Sutton

1 other class

Class	Instructors	Course score
ENGL 4202Writing for Health and Medicine	13 records	87

Other ENGL classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
ENGL 1010First Year Writing Seminar	136442 records	80
ENGL 1080Literature Core	90257 records	80
ENGL 1079Literature Core for Multilingual Students	1340 records	89
ENGL 2221Introduction to Creative Writing	936 records	90
ENGL 2133Studies in Narrative	1634 records	87
ENGL 2131Studies in Poetry	1333 records	84

The line

All 13 items · means across 6 records

The Professor4 items

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

8717th pctl

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

783rd pctl

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

8719th pctl

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

8919th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

745th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

8211th pctl

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

8822nd pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

8620th pctl

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

693rd pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

787th 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.

807th pctl

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

8011th 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

6 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Sarah Sutton	Fall 2025	01	92	90	40
Sarah Sutton	Fall 2024	01	75	70	40
Sarah Sutton	Fall 2023	01	84	86	—
Sarah Sutton	Spring 2023	01	72	72	40
Sarah Sutton	Fall 2022	01	87	83	40
Sarah Sutton	Spring 2022	01	64	66	40

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.