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 · PSYC · MCAS

PSYC 1110

Brain, Mind, & Behavior · 6 instructors on record · 28 sections

What the course score is made of
76BC evaluations28 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
52ndMore challenging than 52% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
91BC — “Intellectually Challenging”28 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
40thMore work than 40% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
52BC — “Workload”28 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 focuses on basic brain function (how neurons work, brain plasticity, and drug effects) and genetic influences on psychological functions (including attitudes), and introduces students to fundamental features of learning, motivation, appetite, memory, and perception, along with their biological underpinnings. A major course theme is the physical bases of psychological phenomena.

The board

6 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. 2 of the 6 rows carry a mark saying so.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Jeffrey LamoureuxPsychology879 records87th74th8041 ratings · all classes
2Shveta ParekhLecturer · Psychology and Neuroscience Provisional fewer records932 records39th55thno page
3Sindy ColeLecturer · Psychology and Neuroscience Provisional902 records25th57th804 ratings · all classes
4Carolyn KnoepflerAdjunct Professor · Psychology and Neuroscience855 records25th43rdno page
5Molly ByrnePsychology Provisional fewer records861 recordno page
6Gene HeymanSenior Lecturer · Psychology and Neuroscience659 records30th34th5849 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. 3 of 6 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 28 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8615th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8613th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8411th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8817th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8729th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8727th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8511th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
819th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8625th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
787th 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.
5240th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9152nd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8316th 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

28 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Shveta ParekhSpring 202602908640
Carolyn KnoepflerSpring 202603878340
Gene HeymanFall 2025016057
Sindy ColeFall 202502918440
Shveta ParekhFall 202503968960
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 202501768080
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 202502938580
Gene HeymanSpring 202501656540
Carolyn KnoepflerSpring 202502847940
Gene HeymanFall 202401615960
Sindy ColeFall 202402908540
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 2024018677100
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 2024028883
Gene HeymanSpring 202401656240
Carolyn KnoepflerSpring 202402898540
Gene HeymanFall 202301646460
Jeffrey LamoureuxFall 202302897960
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 2023018782
Molly ByrneSummer 2023028678
Gene HeymanSpring 202301636040
Carolyn KnoepflerSpring 202302848040
Gene HeymanFall 2022016564
Jeffrey LamoureuxFall 202202837560
Jeffrey LamoureuxSummer 2022019791
Gene HeymanSpring 202201706840

Showing the first 25.

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.