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 · Complex Problems and Enduring Questions · Spring 2023 – Fall 2025

Hongyan Yang

Complex Problems and Enduring Questions · 28 evaluation records across 6 classes

On each class's board
HIST 16213rd of 3 instructorsECON 17044th of 4 instructorsUNAS 17292nd of 3 instructorsUNAS 17255th of 5 instructorsHIST 1730only instructor on recordUNAS 2211only instructor on record Provisional
What the overall is made of
73BC evaluations28 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2023 – Fall 2025
—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
55thMore challenging than 55% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
89BC — “Intellectually Challenging”28 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
56thMore work than 56% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
54BC — “Workload”28 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 28 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8724th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8823rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8624th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8828th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8734th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8836th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8836th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8631st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8944th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8628th 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.
5456th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8955th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9059th 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

6 classes · 28 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 1621 The "Other" Americans: Representation and Reality in Asian AmericaOvr81Chal49thWork45th
On this class's board3rd of 3 instructors

9 sections on record · course itself rated 76 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 1621.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202502745660
Spring 202503846860
Spring 202504786860
Spring 202505877060
Spring 2023018080—
Spring 202302798040
Spring 202303737940
Spring 202304889660
Spring 202305879160
All 13 items for HIST 1621
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8926th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8920th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8925th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8919th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8729th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8830th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8926th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8623rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9040th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8624th 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.
5545th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9049th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9249th 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.

ECON 1704 Real Estate and Urban Action: Transforming Communities and Increasing Access to OpportunityOvr63Chal—Work—
On this class's board4th of 4 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 83 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 1704.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 2023016081—
Fall 2023026181—
Fall 2023037187—
Fall 2023046985—
Fall 2023055380—
Fall 2023066483—
All 13 items for ECON 1704

Nothing reported

None of the evaluation questions were reported for these records.

UNAS 1729 The "Other" Americans: Representation and Reality in Asian AmericaOvr82Chal44thWork33rd
On this class's board2nd of 3 instructors

5 sections on record · course itself rated 86 out of 100. See the full board for UNAS 1729.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202301828440
Spring 202302748340
Spring 202303737640
Spring 202304909360
Spring 202305919260
All 13 items for UNAS 1729
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9027th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8923rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8823rd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8715th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9149th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9253rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9356th pctl
Assignments & Feedback2 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9040th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8519th 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.
4833rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9044th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9462nd 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.

UNAS 1725 Real Estate and Urban Action: Transforming Communities and Increasing Access to OpportunityOvr66Chal—Work—
On this class's board5th of 5 instructors

4 sections on record · course itself rated 82 out of 100. See the full board for UNAS 1725.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 2023017084—
Fall 2023026986—
Fall 2023055773—
Fall 2023066985—
All 13 items for UNAS 1725

Nothing reported

None of the evaluation questions were reported for these records.

HIST 1730 Making American Landscapes: Building and Living in Asian AmericaOvr64Chal19thWork81st
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

3 sections on record · course itself rated 63 out of 100. See the full board for HIST 1730.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202501777240
Spring 202401595880
Spring 202403575980
All 13 items for HIST 1730
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
773rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
826th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
773rd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8611th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
787th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
809th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
805th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
796th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9040th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8416th 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.
6781st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8419th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8112th 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.

UNAS 2211 Food, Race, NationOvr78Chal12thWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 80 out of 100. See the full board for UNAS 2211.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202501788040
All 13 items for UNAS 2211
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
806th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8511th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8514th 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.
8520th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
849th 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.
8524th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8936th 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.
8212th 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.

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.