Instructor record · English · Spring 2025 – Spring 2026

John Alden

English · 3 evaluation records across 2 classes

On each class's board

ENGL 108010th of 90 instructors ProvisionalENGL 2888only instructor on record Provisional

What the overall is made of

97BC evaluations3 records · weight ×1.0 · Spring 2025 – Spring 2026

—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

38thMore challenging than 38% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold

86BC — “Intellectually Challenging”3 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

35thMore work than 35% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold

47BC — “Workload”3 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 3 records

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9893rd pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

9893rd pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9894th pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9994th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9794th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9896th pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

9261st pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9378th pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9581st pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9791st 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.

8638th pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9376th 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

2 classes · 3 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.

ENGL 1080 Literature CoreOvr97Chal21stWork39th

On this class's board10th of 90 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 93 out of 100. See the full board for ENGL 1080.

Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Spring 2026	03	98	97	60
Spring 2025	18	96	89	40

All 13 items for ENGL 1080

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.

9885th pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9882nd pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9888th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9891st pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

9141st pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9468th pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9569th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9782nd 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.

5039th pctl

Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.

8521st pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9250th pctl

ENGL 2888 Medieval MonstersOvr96Chal40thWork25th

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 ENGL 2888.

Term	Sec	Instr	Course	Work
Fall 2025	01	96	94	40

All 13 items for ENGL 2888

The Professor4 items

Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.

9880th pctl

Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.

9881st pctl

Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.

9881st pctl

Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.

9984th pctl

The Course3 items

Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.

9679th pctl

Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.

9680th pctl

Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.

9458th pctl

Assignments & Feedback3 items

Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.

9152nd pctl

Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.

9678th pctl

Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.

9677th 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.

8940th pctl

Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.

9677th pctl

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.