Class record · MATH · MCAS

MATH 4480

Topics in Mathematics · 9 instructors on record · 17 sections

What the course score is made of

84BC evaluations17 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

64thMore challenging than 64% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

93BC — “Intellectually Challenging”17 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

81stMore work than 81% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

66BC — “Workload”17 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.

Topics for this one-semester course vary from year to year according to the interests of faculty and students. With department permission it may be repeated.

The board

9 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. 1 of the 9 rows carry a mark saying so.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
1	Mark ReederProfessor · Mathematics Provisional	1001 record	78th	63rd	828 ratings · all classes
2	Keaton QuinnMathematics Provisional	961 record	100th	81st	7817 ratings · all classes
3	Moon DuchinMathematics Provisional	961 record	93rd	65th	—no page
4	Chi-Keung CheungMathematics	903 records	81st	84th	9211 ratings · all classes
5	Julia GrigsbyMathematics	894 records	78th	58th	—no page
6	Rishi SonthaliaAssistant Professor · Mathematics	883 records	81st	89th	—no page
7	Erika WardAssociate Professor of the Practice · Mathematics Provisional	861 record	78th	36th	9215 ratings · all classes
8	Dylan ThurstonProfessor · Mathematics Provisional fewer records	781 record	78th	25th	—no page
9	Claire FrechetteMathematics Provisional	802 records	78th	40th	—no page

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. 6 of 9 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 17 records

The Professor4 items

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

9241st pctl

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

9347th pctl

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

9135th pctl

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

9232nd pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

8831st pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

8936th pctl

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

8928th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9149th pctl

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

8522nd pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

8728th 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.

6681st pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9364th pctl

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

9043rd 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

17 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Dylan Thurston	Spring 2026	01	78	74	60
Mark Reeder	Spring 2026	02	100	100	60
Erika Ward	Spring 2026	03	86	82	60
Rishi Sonthalia	Fall 2025	01	100	93	60
Rishi Sonthalia	Spring 2025	01	80	67	80
Claire Frechette	Spring 2025	02	79	80	60
Rishi Sonthalia	Spring 2025	03	84	73	60
Keaton Quinn	Spring 2024	01	96	91	100
Claire Frechette	Spring 2024	02	82	81	60
Chi-Keung Cheung	Spring 2024	03	89	89	80
Julia Grigsby	Spring 2023	01	90	84	—
Julia Grigsby	Spring 2023	02	85	74	80
Chi-Keung Cheung	Spring 2023	03	85	75	60
Julia Grigsby	Spring 2022	01	90	87	60
Julia Grigsby	Spring 2022	02	91	91	40
Chi-Keung Cheung	Spring 2022	03	97	93	60
Moon Duchin	Fall 2021	02	96	90	80

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.