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 · JOUR · MCAS

JOUR 2000

Introduction to Journalism · 6 instructors on record · 19 sections

What the course score is made of
86BC evaluations19 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
29thMore challenging than 29% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
87BC — “Intellectually Challenging”19 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
30thMore work than 30% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
46BC — “Workload”19 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.

Senior Journalism minors only - required Journalism course. To be taken in Freshman, Sophomore, or Junior year.Organized like a professional newsroom, this course will give students interested in journalism a taste of its various facets, including topic-generation, reporting, interviewing, and editing, for print, broadcast, and online media. It will cover basic newswriting, beat reporting, investigative journalism, feature writing, and writing for the web, and provide an introduction to media law and ethics and the business and history of journalism. Students will produce a feature-length final project and will also work in teams to formulate, report, and write investigative stories.Student should expect to meet deadlines and high standards of grammar, style, punctuation, and factual accuracy.

The board

6 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

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. 2 of the 6 rows carry a mark saying so.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
1Kevin ConveyUniversity and Capstone906 records40th25th
2Jennifer BerkshireUniversity and Capstone Provisional fewer records941 record25th36th
3Scott HelmanUniversity and Capstone Provisional fewer records861 record78th26th
4Jon MarcusUniversity and Capstone878 records25th40th
5Christine CaswellCommunication Provisional851 record
6Angela ArdsAssociate Professor; Director of the Journalism Program · English Provisional832 records39th11th

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. 4 of 6 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 line

All 13 items · means across 19 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9240th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9028th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9244th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9340th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9146th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9250th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9350th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9260th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9359th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9463rd 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.
4630th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8729th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9253rd 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

19 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Jon MarcusSpring 202601908840
Kevin ConveySpring 202602969140
Jon MarcusFall 202501908740
Scott HelmanFall 202502868260
Jon MarcusSpring 202501969440
Kevin ConveySpring 202502939160
Kevin ConveyFall 202401888360
Angela ArdsFall 202402827540
Jon MarcusSpring 202401828240
Kevin ConveySpring 202402969260
Jon MarcusFall 2023019186
Christine CaswellFall 2023028589
Jon MarcusSpring 202301858540
Kevin ConveySpring 2023028782
Jon MarcusFall 202201848040
Angela ArdsFall 202202848760
Jon MarcusSpring 202201818340
Jennifer BerkshireSpring 202202948840
Kevin ConveyFall 202101838340

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.