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 · Business Law · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026

Rachel Spooner

Business Law · 30 evaluation records across 3 classes

On each class's board
BSLW 10212nd of 12 instructorsBSLW 1170only instructor on recordPRTO 10007th of 11 instructors
What the overall is made of
94BC evaluations30 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Spring 2026
90RateMyProfessors15 ratings · weight ×2.0 · 88% 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
82ndMore challenging than 82% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
93BC — “Intellectually Challenging”30 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 70 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
55thMore work than 55% of BC instructorsranked against every one we hold
54BC — “Workload”30 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: 15 ratings, 88% would take again, difficulty 70 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 30 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9575th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9786th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9575th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9784th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9792nd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9691st pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9688th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9380th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9688th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9475th 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.
5455th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9382nd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9271st 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 · 30 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.

BSLW 1021 Law I--Introduction to Law and Legal ProcessOvr94Chal58thWork46th
On this class's board2nd of 12 instructors

20 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for BSLW 1021.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202601908660
Spring 202602989660
Fall 202502969260
Fall 202503969260
Spring 202501959360
Spring 202502939040
Fall 202402939060
Fall 202403969340
Spring 202401959360
Spring 2024029190—
Fall 2023029592—
Fall 2023039592—

Showing the first 12.

All 13 items for BSLW 1021
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9665th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9672nd pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9559th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9770th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9784th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9784th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9672nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9362nd 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.
9361st 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.
9258th pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9145th 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.

BSLW 1170 Securities RegulationOvr95Chal84thWork33rd
On this class's boardonly instructor on record

5 sections on record · course itself rated 92 out of 100. See the full board for BSLW 1170.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Spring 202601999940
Spring 202501979060
Spring 202401929060
Spring 202301928940
Spring 202201939140
All 13 items for BSLW 1170
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9666th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
9777th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
9565th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9770th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9784th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9678th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9678th pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9474th 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.
9568th 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.
4833rd pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9684th 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.

PRTO 1000 PorticoOvr95Chal63rdWork39th
On this class's board7th of 11 instructors

5 sections on record · course itself rated 91 out of 100. See the full board for PRTO 1000.

TermSecInstrCourseWork
Fall 202513938640
Fall 202413948960
Fall 20231310095—
Fall 202215919340
Fall 202115949460
All 13 items for PRTO 1000
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
9454th 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.
9565th pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
9664th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
9677th pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
9464th pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
9673rd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
9470th pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
9573rd pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
9571st 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.
9363rd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
9571st 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.