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 · Biology · Fall 2021 – Summer 2024

Mary Dunn

Biology · 11 evaluation records across 2 classes

On each class's board
What the overall is made of
87BC evaluations11 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Summer 2024
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
71stMore challenging than 71% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
91BC — “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.

What the workload rank is made of
61stMore work than 61% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
56BC — “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.

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.
9251st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9037th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9251st pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9351st pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9264th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9367th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9156th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9273rd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9686th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9368th 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.
5661st pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9171st pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8324th 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 · 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.

BIOL 2200 Microbiology for Health ProfessionalsOvr85Chal55thWork81st
On this class's board1st of 2 instructors

8 sections on record · course itself rated 85 out of 100. See the full board for BIOL 2200.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Summer 2024019696100
Summer 2024028488
Summer 2023018984
Summer 2023027876
Summer 2023038691
Summer 202201858340
Summer 2022028282
Fall 202101827960
All 13 items for BIOL 2200
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9031st pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8715th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8926th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9026th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9363rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9255th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9030th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9254th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9574th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9146th 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.
9155th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
8111th 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.

BIOL 1480 Pathogens and PlaguesOvr91Chal53rdWork25th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

3 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for BIOL 1480.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 2023018580
Fall 202201949840
Spring 202201959640
All 13 items for BIOL 1480
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9775th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9884th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9987th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9984th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8938th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9358th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9571st pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9367th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9885th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9990th 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.
9153rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9043rd 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.