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 · Economics · Summer 2023 – Spring 2026

Ira Abraham

Economics · 11 evaluation records across 5 classes

On each class's board
ECON 220110th of 19 instructorsECON 222818th of 33 instructorsECON 115113th of 27 instructors ProvisionalECON 33852nd of 3 instructors ProvisionalECON 330810th of 12 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
75BC evaluations11 records · weight ×1.0 · Summer 2023 – Spring 2026
60RateMyProfessors1 rating · 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
39thMore challenging than 39% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
86BC — “Intellectually Challenging”11 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
49thMore work than 49% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
51BC — “Workload”11 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: 1 rating, 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 11 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8417th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8412th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
799th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
809th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9048th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8943rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8521st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8740th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8320th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
789th 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.
5149th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8639th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8220th 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

5 classes · 11 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.

ECON 2201 Microeconomic TheoryOvr71Chal41stWork43rd
On this class's board10th of 19 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 71 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 2201.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202606787640
Spring 202607777860
Fall 202507595860
All 13 items for ECON 2201
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
816th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8612th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
806th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
792nd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8623rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8519th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
839th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8622nd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8216th 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.
5343rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8941st 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.

ECON 2228 Econometric MethodsOvr75Chal—Work—
On this class's board18th of 33 instructors

3 sections on record · course itself rated 68 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 2228.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 2023077974—
Fall 2023116961—
Fall 2023147769—
All 13 items for ECON 2228

Nothing reported

None of the evaluation questions were reported for these records.

ECON 1151 StatisticsOvr80Chal15thWork25th
On this class's board13th of 27 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 75 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 1151.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202408767440
Fall 202412837640
All 13 items for ECON 1151
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8820th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
848th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
839th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
825th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8834th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8934th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
838th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8832nd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8318th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8110th 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.
8317th 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 3385 Health EconomicsOvr80Chal21stWork78th
On this class's board2nd of 3 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 88 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 3385.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Summer 202501708560
Summer 202502909060
All 13 items for ECON 3385
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8513th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
804th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
752nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
804th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9887th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9574th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9033rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8830th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8523rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
702nd 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.
8521st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8315th 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 3308 Game Theory in EconomicsOvr65Chal—Work—
On this class's board10th of 12 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 60 out of 100. See the full board for ECON 3308.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Summer 2023016560—
All 13 items for ECON 3308

Nothing reported

None of the evaluation questions were reported for these records.

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.