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 · Art History · Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

Michael Norton

Art History · 2 evaluation records across 2 classes

On each class's board
ARTH 2244only instructor on record ProvisionalARTH 22742nd of 2 instructors Provisional
What the overall is made of
82BC evaluations2 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
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
64thMore challenging than 64% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
90BC — “Intellectually Challenging”2 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
80thMore work than 80% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
60BC — “Workload”2 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 2 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
8725th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9360th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8935th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9357th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8629th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8318th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8111th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
8421st pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
726th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8733rd 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.
6080th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9064th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9793rd 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 · 2 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.

ARTH 2244 Chinese Visual CultureOvr89Chal30thWork78th
On this class's boardonly instructor on record Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 87 out of 100. See the full board for ARTH 2244.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202501898760
All 13 items for ARTH 2244
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9132nd pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9455th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9134th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9233rd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9145th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
8934th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
8513th 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.
735th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8938th 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.
8730th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9885th 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.

ARTH 2274 Buddhist Arts of AsiaOvr75Chal70thWork78th
On this class's board2nd of 2 instructors Provisional

1 section on record · course itself rated 66 out of 100. See the full board for ARTH 2274.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202401756660
All 13 items for ARTH 2274
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
839th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9343rd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
8720th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9552nd pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
8113th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
785th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
772nd 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.
724th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8418th 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.
9470th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9675th 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.