Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

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 · Political Science · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023

Kay Schlozman

Political Science · 9 evaluation records across 3 classes

On each class's board
POLI 23606th of 9 instructorsPOLI 2314only instructor on record ProvisionalPOLI 49311st of 2 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
84BC evaluations9 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2023
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
82ndMore challenging than 82% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
93BC — “Intellectually Challenging”9 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
61stMore work than 61% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
57BC — “Workload”9 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 9 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8110th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
829th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8111th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8110th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9367th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9155th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9476th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8741st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9157th 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.
5761st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9382nd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8951st 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

3 classes · 9 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.

POLI 2360 Seminar: Rights in ConflictOvr85Chal64thWork45th
On this class's board6th of 9 instructors

7 sections on record · course itself rated 83 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 2360.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202301756240
Spring 202302808060
Spring 2023038085
Spring 2023048787
Spring 2022019791
Spring 202203809360
Spring 2022041008260
All 13 items for POLI 2360
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.
783rd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
782nd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9253rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9037th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9565th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8726th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
8729th 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.
5545th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9364th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8832nd 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.

POLI 2314 Gender and PoliticsOvr82Chal80thWork78th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 83 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 2314.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202101828360
All 13 items for POLI 2314
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9349th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9564th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9244th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9445th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9575th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9575th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9569th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8938th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9889th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9573rd 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.
9580th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9573rd 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.

POLI 4931 Honors SeminarOvr80Chal48thWork78th
On this class's board1st of 2 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 79 out of 100. See the full board for POLI 4931.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202201807960
All 13 items for POLI 4931
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8718th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9345th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9135th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
8919th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9468th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9678th 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.
8935th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9784th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9675th 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.
9048th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9148th 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.