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 · LAWS · LAW

LAWS 4485

Advanced Legal Writing · 4 instructors on record · 15 sections

What the course score is made of
82BC evaluations15 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
40thMore challenging than 40% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”15 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
46thMore work than 46% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
57BC — “Workload”15 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 course focuses on legal analysis and writing with a particular focus on the audience and purpose of written legal communications. The primary purpose of this course is to assist students in becoming practice ready attorneys. Students will continue to build on the skills gained in their First Year Legal Research and Writing course and need only an interest in bettering their writing skills, including their editing skills. Using hypothetical client problems and a simulated court record, students will write client communications, including client letters and electronic communications, as well as pretrial civil litigation documents, such as legal briefs. Students will spend course time discussing each written assignment, reviewing drafts and collaborating on in-class exercises.

The board

4 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.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallenge
1Alice NobleLaw925 records45th55th
2Rita KranerLaw835 records78th49th
3Jennifer ConnorLaw814 records45th33rd
4Elizabeth FrumkinLaw Provisional521 record78th3rd

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. 1 of 4 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 15 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8923rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8819th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9032nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8817th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8937th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8937th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9139th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9153rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9360th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9250th 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.
5746th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8940th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8934th 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

15 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Alice NobleSpring 202601959360
Rita KranerFall 202501666360
Alice NobleSpring 202501929160
Jennifer ConnorSpring 202502676440
Rita KranerFall 202401938860
Alice NobleSpring 202401827460
Jennifer ConnorSpring 202402788760
Rita KranerFall 202301878260
Alice NobleSpring 202301929440
Jennifer ConnorSpring 202302938560
Elizabeth FrumkinSpring 202303525060
Rita KranerFall 2022018379
Alice NobleSpring 2022019794
Jennifer ConnorSpring 202202888560
Rita KranerFall 202101889660

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.