Class record · MFIN · CSOM

MFIN 8870

Data Analytics in Finance · 3 instructors on record · 17 sections

What the course score is made of

86BC 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

70thMore challenging than 70% of BC classesranked against every one we hold

94BC — “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

65BC — “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.

Data Analytics in Finance focuses on critical skills in programming and computation/analysis of financial data, and more importantly, pragmatic applications in portfolio management and risk management. Theoretical concepts and background for these techniques will be introduced, and the focus is on their applications and hands-on implementation utilizing software packages and programming platforms that are widely used in the financial industry (Python). The course will extensively focus on real-world applications of finance theory.STEM-designated

The board

3 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.

Rank	Instructor	Overall	Workload	Challenge	RMP overall
1	Gang Nathan DongFinance	9210 records	45th	71st	808 ratings · all classes
2	Jonathan ReuterAssociate Professor · Finance Provisional	892 records	100th	100th	—no page
3	Ran XuFinance	825 records	87th	58th	—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. 1 of 3 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.

9135th pctl

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

9242nd pctl

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

9137th pctl

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

9234th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9254th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9252nd pctl

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

9035th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9259th pctl

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

9044th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

8935th 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.

6581st pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

9470th pctl

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

9145th 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
Ran Xu	Spring 2026	01	75	70	60
Gang Nathan Dong	Spring 2026	02	98	94	40
Gang Nathan Dong	Summer 2025	01	95	93	60
Ran Xu	Spring 2025	01	89	88	60
Gang Nathan Dong	Spring 2025	02	94	93	60
Gang Nathan Dong	Summer 2024	01	97	94	60
Ran Xu	Spring 2024	01	83	79	60
Gang Nathan Dong	Spring 2024	02	93	91	60
Jonathan Reuter	Fall 2023	01	88	84	—
Gang Nathan Dong	Summer 2023	01	94	89	—
Ran Xu	Spring 2023	01	82	80	100
Gang Nathan Dong	Spring 2023	02	92	91	60
Jonathan Reuter	Fall 2022	01	91	87	100
Gang Nathan Dong	Summer 2022	01	82	78	40
Ran Xu	Spring 2022	01	79	80	100
Gang Nathan Dong	Spring 2022	02	85	83	60
Gang Nathan Dong	Fall 2021	01	93	91	60

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.