Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Top of the board1.ECON 9902962.LAWS 8856973.PRTO 3300984.BSLW 2299975.PHIL 4932986.LAWS 8308987.SCWK 9960998.EESC 99011009.MUSP 16609610.UGMG 10109811.UNCP 55119712.SCWK 883197

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.

Instructor record · Social Work · Fall 2021 – Fall 2023

Cal Halvorsen

Social Work · 8 evaluation records across 3 classes

On each class's board
SCWK 88002nd of 19 instructorsSCWK 88021st of 3 instructors ProvisionalSCWK 88841st of 3 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
98BC evaluations8 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Fall 2023
—Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
—RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

Sources are averaged by how much we trust each one and by how many records sit behind it, so a handful of reviews nudges the number rather than replacing it.

What the challenge rank is made of
58thMore challenging than 58% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”8 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question — 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
28thMore work than 28% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
43BC — “Workload”8 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload 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.

The line

All 13 items · means across 8 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9894th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9996th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9895th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9995th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9689th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9793rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9478th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9483rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9996th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9894th 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.
4328th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8958th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9162nd 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.

Class by class

3 classes · 8 sections

How each position is worked outPositions 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.

SCWK 8800 Basic Skills in Macro PracticeOvr98Chal39thWork30th
On this class's board2nd of 19 instructors

4 sections on record · course itself rated 92 out of 100. See the full board for SCWK 8800.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202301989560
Fall 202304999640
Fall 2021129586—
Fall 2021131009140
All 13 items for SCWK 8800
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9987th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9988th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9987th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9986th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9678th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9681st pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9566th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9579th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9990th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9885th 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.
4730th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8939th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9146th 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.

SCWK 8802 Policy for an Aging Society: Issues and OptionsOvr98Chal39thWork25th
On this class's board1st of 3 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 95 out of 100. See the full board for SCWK 8802.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202301999340
Spring 202201989840
All 13 items for SCWK 8802
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9886th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9886th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9987th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9878th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9785th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9786th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9460th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9362nd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9677th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9990th 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8939th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8935th 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.

SCWK 8884 Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit OrganizationsOvr99Chal56thWork25th
On this class's board1st of 3 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 89 out of 100. See the full board for SCWK 8884.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202301978940
Spring 2022011008840
All 13 items for SCWK 8884
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9778th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9988th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9778th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9985th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9677th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9680th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9351st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9153rd 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.
9783rd 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9156th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9253rd 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.

How to read this pageScores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Almost every class scores high on that scale (the median is about 90), so challenge and workload are shown as a rank against every instructor we hold rather than as a score; the raw figure is in the breakdown above. Neither describes quality, and neither is ever marked better or worse anywhere on this site. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero. The position printed against each class is this instructor's place on that class's own board, computed from the same records the board itself is built from.