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 · History · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023

Heather Richardson

History · 4 evaluation records across 4 classes

On each class's board
HIST 10672nd of 5 instructors ProvisionalHIST 4422only instructor on record ProvisionalHIST 5405only instructor on record ProvisionalHIST 82202nd of 2 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
93BC evaluations4 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023
90RateMyProfessors2 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 100% would take again
—Student reviewsno reviews — 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
53rdMore challenging than 53% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”4 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. RateMyProfessors separately rates this instructor 60 out of 100 for difficulty — that IS a difficulty measure, but it is about the person across everything they teach, not about any one class, so it is shown here rather than folded into the number above.

What the workload rank is made of
35thMore work than 35% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
47BC — “Workload”4 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.

Ratings from outside BC

Not evaluation data

Collected from RateMyProfessors, not from Boston College: 2 ratings, 100% would take again, difficulty 60 out of 100. Difficulty is not a quality signal in either direction — a harder course is not a worse one.

Anyone can post there — no @bc.edu check and no enrolment check — so it is weighted alongside the evaluation data, never above it.

The line

All 13 items · means across 4 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9357th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8616th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9466th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9572nd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9050th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9154th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9263rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8847th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
663rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8734th 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.
4735th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8953rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8633rd 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

4 classes · 4 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.

HIST 1067 America and the World IOvr91Chal15thWork25th
On this class's board2nd of 5 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 82 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 1067.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202101918240
All 13 items for HIST 1067
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9133rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
772nd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8926th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9343rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8625th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8726th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8512th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8210th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
662nd 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.
4025th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8315th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
809th 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.

HIST 4422 Race, Riots, and Rodeos: U.S.,1865-1900Ovr93Chal65thWork—
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 94 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 4422.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 2023019394—
All 13 items for HIST 4422
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9346th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8818th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9562nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9771st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9467th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9574th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9781st pctl
Assignments & Feedback2 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9471st pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9043rd pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9365th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9464th 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. 2 of 13 questions were not reported and are left out rather than shown as zero.

HIST 5405 Senior Colloquium: Classics in the Writing of U.S. HistoryOvr93Chal31stWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 5405.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202101939140
All 13 items for HIST 5405
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9345th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
847th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9559th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9551st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8937th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9042nd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9245th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8936th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
662nd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8213th 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.
8731st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8011th 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.

HIST 8220 Graduate Seminar: U.S. Before 1900Ovr96Chal55thWork78th
On this class's board2nd of 2 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 8220.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202301969160
All 13 items for HIST 8220
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9665th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9349th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9667th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9659th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9149th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9148th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9672nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback2 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8936th 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.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9155th 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. 1 of 13 questions were not reported and are left out rather than shown as zero.

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.