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 · PHYS · MCAS

PHYS 8770

Special and General Relativity · 1 instructor on record · 1 section

What the course score is made of
90BC evaluations1 record · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2024
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
100thMore challenging than 100% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
100BC — “Intellectually Challenging”1 record · 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
BC — “Workload”1 record — does not contribute

Boston College's workload question was not reported in these records, so there is nothing to show. That is missing data, not a light class.

The only instructor on record

1 section · nobody else has taught itFull record
InstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
Jan EngelbrechtPhysics Provisional1001 record100th1001 rating · all classes

There is no ranking to read here: Jan Engelbrecht is the only instructor with evaluation records for PHYS 8770, so the number is a record, not a position. It rests on 1 record, which is thin — read it as provisional. The RateMyProfessors figure is their overall score across everything they teach, not their score in this class.

Also taught by Jan Engelbrecht

5 other classes
ClassInstructorsCourse score
PHYS 2100Introduction to Physics I (Calculus)1134 records67
PHYS 4400Quantum Physics I35 records81
PHYS 7708Physics Graduate Seminar II55 records84
PHYS 7835Mathematical Physics I35 records54
PHYS 4300Numerical Methods and Scientific Computing13 records81

Other PHYS classes

All of them
ClassInstructorsCourse score
PHYS 2051Introductory Physics Laboratory II34109 records58
PHYS 2050Introductory Physics Laboratory I3796 records59
PHYS 2101Introduction to Physics II (Calculus)1343 records66
PHYS 2100Introduction to Physics I (Calculus)1134 records67
PHYS 2200Introductory Physics I (Calculus)59 records71
PHYS 1100Structure of the Universe I37 records68

The line

All 13 items · means across 1 record
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
100100th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
100100th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
100100th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
100100th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9043rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
100100th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
100100th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9045th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
100100th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
100100th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
100100th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
100100th 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. 1 of 13 questions were not reported and are left out rather than shown as zero.

Game log

1 section · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Jan EngelbrechtFall 20240110090

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.