Class record · MESA · LSOE

MESA 6820

Critical Perspectives on Research Methodology · 1 instructor on record · 3 sections

What the course score is made of

96BC evaluations3 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2023 – 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

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

96BC — “Intellectually Challenging”3 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

39thMore work than 39% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

50BC — “Workload”3 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 explores foundational concepts that influence the methodologies and methods employed by social science researchers. Core topics explored include: the Enlightenments influence on scientific inquiry; the influence of empiricism, positivism, and universalism on social science research; objectivity and subjectivity; verification and falsification; quantification and standardization; the construction of mental ability and intelligence. Also explored are: the influences White racial framing has and continues to have on the research questions posed, the methods embraced, interpretations made, and discourse produced by social science researchers; and the role critical theory and anti-colonization have begun to play in reorienting social science research to challenge various forms of oppression, with a specific focus on racialized oppression. Upon completion of the course, participants will be positioned to critically examine quantitative methods and measurement techniques commonly employed for educational research that are introduced in future coursework.

The only instructor on record

3 sections · nobody else has taught itFull record

Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge
Michael RussellMeasurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment.	973 records	39th	81st

There is no ranking to read here: Michael Russell is the only instructor with evaluation records for MESA 6820, so the number is a record, not a position.

Also taught by Michael Russell

6 other classes

Class	Instructors	Course score
MESA 6210Instrument Design and Development	23 records	85
MESA 8864Instrument Design and Development	13 records	87
MESA 6462Assessment and Test Construction	12 records	88
MESA 8280Seminar in Educational Measurement and Research	22 records	90
MESA 7240Assessment Programs	11 record	89
MESA 9960Seminar in Educational Measurement and Research	11 record	100

Other MESA classes

All of them

Class	Instructors	Course score
MESA 6410Introductory Statistics	210 records	86
MESA 6468Introductory Statistics	310 records	81
MESA 6420Intermediate Statistics	37 records	83
MESA 1060Classroom Assessment	36 records	87
MESA 6460Interpretation and Evaluation of Research	36 records	80
MESA 6830Interpretation and Evaluation of Research	16 records	75

The line

All 13 items · means across 3 records

The Professor4 items

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

9672nd pctl

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

9885th pctl

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

9779th pctl

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

9985th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9570th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9677th pctl

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

9990th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9786th pctl

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

9148th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9044th 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.

5039th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9681st pctl

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

9780th 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

3 sections · newest first

Instructor	Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Michael Russell	Fall 2025	01	100	97	40
Michael Russell	Fall 2024	01	96	95	60
Michael Russell	Fall 2023	01	96	96	—

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.