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 · MATH · MCAS

MATH 1007

Ideas in Mathematics · 5 instructors on record · 22 sections

What the course score is made of
74BC evaluations22 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
16thMore challenging than 16% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
84BC — “Intellectually Challenging”22 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
34thMore work than 34% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
49BC — “Workload”22 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.

Not open to students who have completed their Mathematics Core Curriculum Requirement without permission of the Department Chairperson.This course is designed to introduce the student to the spirit, beauty and vitality of mathematics. The emphasis is on development of ideas as well as problem solving skills. Topics vary, but are typically chosen from diverse areas such as geometry, number theory, probability and graph theory.Some terms, the sections are also centered around a theme such as "math and democracy" or "math and games."See the Math Department Website (links tohttps://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/math/undergraduate/course-offerings.html)for information about this coming term.

The board

5 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.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Erika WardAssociate Professor of the Practice · Mathematics9010 records25th3rd9215 ratings · all classes
2Robyn BrooksMathematics Provisional842 records39th22nd749 ratings · all classes
3Andrei IonovMathematics783 records25th39thno page
4Avner AshProfessor · Mathematics713 records30th40thno page
5Nicolas PetitMathematics564 records85th55th5619 ratings · all classes

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 5 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 RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 22 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
838th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9240th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8412th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8611th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8625th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8416th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
772nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8516th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9149th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8622nd 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.
4934th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8416th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8520th 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

22 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Erika WardSpring 2026019288
Erika WardSpring 202602979440
Avner AshFall 202501716140
Avner AshFall 202502726940
Erika WardSpring 202501898740
Erika WardSpring 202502888640
Erika WardFall 202401878540
Erika WardFall 202402868640
Erika WardSpring 202401878040
Erika WardSpring 202402908440
Andrei IonovSpring 202403736640
Andrei IonovSpring 2024049387
Erika WardFall 2023019188
Erika WardFall 2023029491
Avner AshSpring 202301705960
Andrei IonovSpring 2023026658
Robyn BrooksFall 202201847640
Robyn BrooksFall 202202847460
Nicolas PetitSpring 202201403580
Nicolas PetitSpring 202202615980
Nicolas PetitFall 202101615460
Nicolas PetitFall 202102615860

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.