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 · Philosophy · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023

Karen Howard

Philosophy · 16 evaluation records across 4 classes

On each class's board
PHIL 109138th of 39 instructorsTHEO 109140th of 41 instructorsPHIL 109027th of 30 instructors ProvisionalTHEO 109032nd of 33 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
71BC evaluations16 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023
54RateMyProfessors11 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 50% 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
23rdMore challenging than 23% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
83BC — “Intellectually Challenging”16 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 26 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
63rdMore work than 63% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
57BC — “Workload”16 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: 11 ratings, 50% would take again, difficulty 26 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 16 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
798th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
806th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
787th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
776th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8218th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8214th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8417th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8113th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
715th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8318th 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.
5763rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8323rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8014th 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 · 16 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.

PHIL 1091 Perspectives on Western Culture II/Perspectives IIOvr70Chal16thWork46th
On this class's board38th of 39 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 69 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1091.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202315677560
Spring 2023167073—
Spring 202345716160
Spring 202346716660
Spring 202240767460
Spring 202255666340
All 13 items for PHIL 1091
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
783rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
803rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
763rd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
741st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8316th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8314th 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.
819th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
683rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8212th 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.
5646th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
8416th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
787th 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.

THEO 1091 Perspectives on Western Culture II/Perspectives IIOvr72Chal11thWork43rd
On this class's board40th of 41 instructors

6 sections on record · course itself rated 68 out of 100. See the full board for THEO 1091.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202315717260
Spring 202316717660
Spring 202345726660
Spring 202346726560
Spring 202208777040
Spring 202223715740
All 13 items for THEO 1091
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
804th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
814th 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.
751st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8418th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8110th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8410th 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.
693rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8315th 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.
8111th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
797th 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.

PHIL 1090 Perspectives on Western Culture I/Perspectives IOvr75Chal44thWork85th
On this class's board27th of 30 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 71 out of 100. See the full board for PHIL 1090.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202108757080
Fall 202123757360
All 13 items for PHIL 1090
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
817th 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.
816th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8610th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8112th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
809th 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.
8313th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
693rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8010th 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.
7085th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9044th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8622nd 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.

THEO 1090 Perspectives on Western Culture I/Perspectives IOvr68Chal14thWork78th
On this class's board32nd of 33 instructors Provisional

2 sections on record · course itself rated 71 out of 100. See the full board for THEO 1090.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202215667460
Fall 202245706860
All 13 items for THEO 1090
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
783rd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
793rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
816th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
804th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
788th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
819th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8614th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8211th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
767th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8727th 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.
8314th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8417th 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.