Holtzapple, Robert  

This guy is a fantastic professor, first the notes are really clear and concise. He really wants people to do well in his class so going to office hours is helpful. His quizzes and tests are fair, and the only notch is the hw is tough. However, hes helpful and not a douche, he\'ll answer any question no matter how easy the problem is and he wont judge you. Hes funny too. Just do the work required and the class shouldnt be too bad.

Great professor. He presents material clearly and is willing to help whenever any difficulties understanding the material arises. Go to lecture and office hours. Don\'t miss any lectures or you will fall behind. That\'s what happened to me but I managed to get help from professor holtzapple in understanding important topics.

This guy is great, he understands that we have other classes that already offer alot of homework... He has one assignment that is due every Wednesday ranging from 9-12 questions (no mastering physics). If you pay attention in class, you will be able to do the questions. He is always up for answering any questions you have and is very clear in his explanations. His handwriting is a little messy but he always says it out loud as well. His tests are very fair, not easy but definitely not hard. One question is always extra credit "if you choose to do it" but everyone does so all it ends up doing is raising the avg. Definitely recommend taking this guy for any physics.

I wholeheartedly agree with the reviewer below me. When you take Holtzapple, you're seeing a master at work. His lectures are so clear, organized, and to the point. You can tell he put in a lot of effort into refining them. His tests are fair, and balanced between conceptual and plug & chug. Class averages tend to be on the higher side, but that's not because his tests are too easy, it's because his teaching and notes are so effective. Oh yea, he gives you a full 3 hours for midterms instead of 1. For people who don't like to rushing through 1 hour tests, and are too slow to have time to check over their work, this guy is the right Prof. for you. I haven't had him for lab, so I can't review him on that part. I have no doubt, he does a good job there too. Bottom Line: If you value having a friendly, helpful professor who cares about the quality of his teaching, take him. If you don't like doing online homework, take him. MORE PEOPLE SHOULD BE RATING THIS GUY!

Holtzapple is the man. He wants you to learn the material. He has great intuition for understanding why students would have difficulty with certain topics. His homework is difficult but you learn the material well. Take him.

General consensus with everyone I know is that Holztapple is the best physics teacher on campus. He gives incredible lectures, where you learn everything you might need to know to pass his tests and quizzes. Isn't the easiest subject matter, 133 is a lot of math, but Holtzapple goes over it all. Two midterms, weekly quizzes, heavily weighted homework assignments and a final. NO doubt, get Holtzapple if you can.

Holtzapple is an excellent and very fair teacher. He is the kind of teacher that you would want if you weren't good at physics, because he explains everything very simply and very thoroughly. 133 is basically all either circuits or integrals, so get good at those. If you came into Holtzapple's class with a good knowledge of physics already (from AP tests or EE classes or whatever) it will seem like he spends too much time going over the basics and not enough time on hard examples. He is a very fair test giver though, and oftentimes a problem on a test or quiz will be the same as one from the homework. He's a great teacher, take him.

Holtzapple is really hard. Gives a lot of homework and his tests are very difficult.

The stuff we do in his 133 class is way harder than what other people did in their 133 class, but Holtzapple is such a great professor that he makes it not feel as complicated as what people with other 133 professors make phys 133 out to be. His tests are hard, I've compared them to other 133 classes tests and the other classes tests look like cake, but the thing is that other physics professors are so bad at teaching that their tests end up having like 40-60% averages, while in Holtzapple's class the grade average on tests are B's because he manages to teach the material so well. He is a super nice professor who is truly enthusiastic about teaching physics. He is super nice and helpful in his office hours he will never make you feel stupid and he will keep on explaining something until you understand it. I barely passed 141, and 132 with D's so I was surprised that I did slightly better in 133 which is supposed to be harder. He also gives you 3 hours to complete the midterms. So try to leave your nights from 7-10 free because that's when he's normally able to find a classroom to use for midterms. Holtzapple is seriously one of the best professors here at cal poly!

Very fair grader. Homework is a bit difficult since he compiles it himself and not straight from the book. Study hard and study often!

Holtzapple is the man. Even if you did not plan on taking PHYS this quarter, if you can get him TAKE HIM! He is honestly the most well rounded professor that not only explains things easily and has a fair grading system but also gives you extensive knowledge. This is not an easy class but Holtzapple is definitely the man when it comes to Physics.

Physics 133 is hard, but Holtzapple is such an amazing professor that the subject matter not only makes sense, but you have FUN learning it. I came in already liking physics, and now I love it even more! Holtzapple is an extremely thorough lecturer with incredible patience both in the classroom and in his office hours. He will not talk down to you for asking about basic concepts, and he has great intuition for figuring out where you're stuck and how to make you really get it. So ASK QUESTIONS. He's also a great guy to get to know, so that's a plus. I attended almost all of his office hours and honestly enjoyed them. As others have said, homework is challenging but not impossible (especially if you hang out in office hours), both midterms were difficult but fair, and I have yet to take the final but it will probably be like the midterms. 10/10 would suggest this guy as your professor. He is the best on campus, and you will walk away with a smile on your face. :)

Students who have taken Professor Holtzapple will either say that his class was horrible, or that his class was amazing. In my opinion, he's one of the best professors at Cal Poly. If you must know, I passed PHYS 141 with a C. So I came into PHYS 133 expecting the worst. To my surprise, I found it was MUCH easier. Holtzapple's method of teaching is excellent! First of all, he speaks clearly and words physics concepts in a way that it's easily understandable. Second, his notes are SUPER ORGANIZED. You can tell that he's had years of experience to perfect his notes. We had weekly homework with around 10 questions per Problem Set. The first few problems are usually easy, while the last problems are more challenging. If you get stuck, look at your notes or GO TO OFFICE HOURS. He can help you through the problem, and he's super patient. There are also weekly quizzes (unless there's a midterm) with one or two questions. They're very similar to his class examples and homework problems. So if you review the examples and do the homework (without cheating), you're pretty much set to do well on the quizzes. His Midterms (aka Graded Learning Opportunities) are not your typical midterms. He doesn't just give you 1 hour to finish the midterm. He gives you as much time as you need (I generally finished mine within 3 hours). However, there's a catch. He schedules the midterms at 7 pm, and they're pretty long. So if you're the type of person to take your time and double check every answer, AWESOME. The 3 hours really helped raise my midterm grades to a B and an A. But if you're the type of person who can't function in the evening, then make sure to order some Starbucks before the test. The final exam is just the typical 3-hour exam. There will be significantly more questions, because it is a cumulative final. Overall, definitely recommend Professor Holtzapple!

Holtzapple is an extremely solid professor. He very much wants to help the students in any way possible, in office hours and in lectures. He sometimes gets caught up in the derivations of equations that turn out to not be at all important, but overall his lectures are very useful. He basically follows the book chapter by chapter, but still GO TO CLASS. He often skips information in the book, so his lectures are good to go to to know what he's targeting. You can tell he's working hard to get all the material in because he sweats during lectures. Use his office hours because usually his lectures are pretty fast paced; there's not much time for questions. Really an excellent professor. Everyone likes this guy.

He is the best physics professor I\'ve had. He presents the material in a clear and organized method. He is very helpful during office hours. He is pretty easy on the grading too. He is a very nice guy who understands students\' difficulties and wants to help them out. Do the homework and attend the lectures and you\'ll get a good grade.

Professor Holtzapple is a GREAT professor. I am in the last week of the quarter and have an A in the class, which is surprising because physics has never my strong subject. His lectures are really helpful and relevant to his tests and quizzes. He does give one quiz a week which might sound annoying, but they are really helpful in gauging where you stand on the material. If you go to class and DO THE HOMEWORK then you will do well in his class. He is also very helpful outside of class and just a nice guy overall. Take Holtzapple if you can!

Professor Holtzapple is GREAT. Take him if you can. He presents material clearly, and explains concepts well with examples. Homework is weekly and isn't bad if you take it bit by bit. Don't leave it for the last second. Quizzes every week, but this is actually a good thing because it lets you know just how well you understand the material. Don't freak out if you bomb a few (like I did) because if you learn from them you can come back and own the exam and pull of a high A. Tests are on Thursday nights. Good if you like unlimited time, bad if you have plans to go to Farmer's, see a basketball game, etc. It doesn't get better than Holtzapple for PHYS 141! TAKE HIM if you love yourself at all.

If i could rate him 'above excellent' I would, Professor Holtzapple is the BEST teacher I have had here and the BEST physics teacher I have had! Everything he writes on the board is explained extremely well, and the homework assigned is coherent with the examples given in class, and all quizzes and tests the same. If you can get him as a teacher, you should, you will actually understand physics afterwards.

Holtzapple is a cool guy, really laid back and loves diet coke. He drank one everyday in class during lecture. His physics class is not really hard but it can be challenging. His grading of homework problems is intense, as you can miss a lot of points just off of homework. There are weekly quizes, with them ranging from super hard to super easy. His midterms are long and they are at night on the day you dont have class, at 7pm. This might seem weird but i really like his philosophy which is he wanted to give his students as much time as they needed. This of course caused for a longer test but it was cool to be able to take as long as i wanted to finish the midterm. Plus one problem is extra credit so it is not that hard to get a B on the midterms. His final for some reason was extremely easy to me, it made my grade jump to a B. This guy is great and i can't wait to take again in the physics series.

Coming into Cal Poly without any history taking Calculus or Physics in high school I was worried, Holtzapple eliminated all my fears. This guy is amazing, not only did he present the material clearly and make it super easy to understand, he also made it interesting. Taking this class with Holtzapple made 132 and 133 easier to understand since topics overlapped. Not to say his class is easy, for it is not, however how easy it is for you, and your grade in the class depends on the effort you put into it. Really helpful in office hours, strongly recommend doing the homework problems and going in for anything that does not make sense. I only wish they let professors like this teach the Physics series (141, 132, 133) so you can have the same teacher for all three. This guy is amazing, definitely the best teacher to take for any physics.

Holtzapple is hands down the best PHYS 141 professor you can get. He is very helpful in office hours, and his tests look just like what he covers in lecture and on the homework. Not an easy class, but if you put in the necessary effort you will do well with Holtzapple as your professor.

Great teacher, which is hard to come by in a topic linear thinking people dominate. His lectures are very helpful and he will go over problems for the whole time. The class starts very slow but keep on top of it and the "hard" stuff won't be too bad. He is very friendly and helpful in office hours as well. Make sure you do all of the homework (collected weekly) thoroughly as it is graded somewhat harshly. Two midterms and a final make up most of the class. I strongly recommend him for 141.

Below average professor at best. Avoid!

avoid!!

Too much work!

Holtzapple's teaching style is one that if you took AP Physics in high school you'll probably do great, but for someone like me who never had any prior Physics this class was hell. He spends way too much time talking about theory and not enough time giving clear strategies to solve problems. His homeworks were extremely difficult and he only held one office hour per week, during which he would never go through a whole problem just "pointing" you in the right direction. This guy teaches at a level way above what is required for an introductory physics class, so if you're new save yourself some grief and find a different teacher.

Best prof hands down.

Holzapple is AWESOME! He was my favorite teacher by far. His lectures were interesting and captivating. I would never want to miss a class. His lectures are very easy to understand and I never opened the book.I would take him for any class that you can get him for! He is the coolest guy!

Holtzapple is an amazing physics teacher. His lectures are super clear and he give a lot of good examples that make learning easy and fun. His mid-term and final are both extremely fair. If you have listened at all and have completed any of the homework, than they are easy tests to take. Definitely the best choice for a physics teacher.

Hard class and it moves quickly. Decent prof.

I felt like Holtzapple is a good professor if you haven't had experience with physics before. If you have, this class is extremely boring with him. He acts very childish for a physics professor, and also likes to spell component 'componet'. He also sounds like Wallace Shawn, who played Vizzini in Princess Bride and voiced Rex in Toy Story . Inconceivable!

Holtzapple is the best! He's nice, funny, and a great professor. He makes sure what he is teaching is very clear. He even brings in his toys and tools to show an example of certain concepts so you can visualize what he is teaching about and further understand. His handwriting is a little messy, but the notes he gives don't leave anything out. His weekly homework assignments are fairly long, but they helped me learn the material very well; I appreciated all the practice. He made Physics 141 my favorite out of all my classes during Fall Quarter 2012.

Holtzapple was a very good physics professor but I definitely felt there are ways that he can improve. The tests always seemed to throw some curveball questions that weren't covered in the problem sets and were much more difficult than the in class examples. The problem sets were fairly lengthy and took some time to get through but doable if you take the time. My advice to someone taking the class is to start the problem sets early in the week and take any questions you have to office hours because he is very helpful. Attending every class is a must because the material builds very quickly. Try to do well on the first midterm because the averages on the second midterm and final tend to be much lower. He is good in lecture, even though his handwriting is messy, but make sure you review your notes after every class. I didn't use the book at all but realized it probably would have been helpful. Doing well in this class takes a lot of time but is doable if you make the effort, would recommend. TL;DR very good prof, tests can be tricky so be prepared, do all the problem sets (no half-ass work) and you'll be fine

If he is willing to joke about himself in the name of teaching, he is one of the greatest professionals I have ever met. His grading turnaround time is quick and he does his job really well. You would have to try really really hard to not like him.

He is by far the best Physics teacher at Cal Poly. At first I thought his teaching style was really slow and covered a lot of unnecessary material but he explained every topic very clearly. Homework is really long but you have to do it if you want to get an A in the class. If you took AP Physics in high school this class is going to be a joke, but you can still get A if you have never taken physics. Weekly quizzes are easy if you did the HW. For the midterms you get unlimited time (Class meets at night for the midterms). There is an extra credit problem on both midterms. 7 graded problems and 1 extra credit. Make sure you know conceptual questions. Final is fairly easy. We had a two part final. First half was 8 problem but you only had to do 7 of them. Second part was 8 problem and one of them was extra credit. WARNING he does not curve so do not rely on that. Overall great professor would recommend and take him again if I have the chance.

Absolutely LOVED Holtzapple. His lectures were well organized and he was very helpful during office hours. Homework due every week, weekly quizzes, and two midterms. He gives you the equation sheets on the midterms so that's helpful. However, he gave the midterms on Thursday nights from 7-10 pm even though we only had class MTWF, so try to keep your Thursday nights open if you're going to take him. Overall, he was a very good teacher, fair grading and fair tests! Take Holtzapple if you can!!!

Holtzapple is a great teacher, no doubt, and I certainly recommend him. But I feel there is one area he is lacking in. He was great at teaching the physics concepts, and showed us lots of examples, but left out the part in between. In other words, he wasn't the best at explaining how to apply the physics to the examples, and how you were supposed to figure out what to do to solve the questions. He did try to give us a couple of tips here and there and since it's physics, it's no easy task, but I feel he could have done a bit better of a job in this area. I know I had major trouble with this; I understood the concepts, if I knew how to get started on a problem I could solve it, but I had trouble figuring out how to get started on most physics problems. It also doesn't help that he gives custom-made, non-straightforward problem sets without solutions or answers to check to see if you're on the right track...

Great teacher. Does lots of example problems in class and gives you unlimited time (within reason) to finish a midterm. He is also very helpful during office hours. If you don't understand a problem, he will do the whole problem -step by step- on the white board during office hours and find the part you don't understand and explain it to you. He is also a pretty entertaining professor. Holtzapple explaining momentum = mass X velocity: "I think the SI unit for momentum should be the Holtzapple because when I'm riding my bike, you can't stop me."

Now that I'm finishing up with Physics 132 I realize that Cal Poly has some more than below average teachers, especially in the Physics department. This realization came with a new appreciation for Holtzapple who I now know is a damn good teacher and I hope I can get him again in the future!

Best Physics teacher at Cal Poly.

He is not easy but you will learn physics

Holtzapple is the homie. He explains things in a natural way that flows from simple to complex. If you take him, he will give you everything you need to know for physics 141. Problem sets are challenging and tests are hard, but again, as long as you do your part as a student, Holtzapple will give you everything you need to get an A or B

Alright, so Dr.Holtzapple (or Robbie as we called him) is best surmized into the good, and the bad. The Good: He is an excellent proffessor. I learned much more about physics than I think any other professor could have taught me. He challenges you, and if you do the work and study enough you will without a doubt have a good understanding of the fundamentals of physics by the end of the quarter regardless of the grade you recieve. The Bad: He expects far too much of his students. To him, this is the only class anyone should ever be studying for and does a terrible job of understanding students other obligations. However, his biggest problem is his quiz's and midterms. Mostly the midterms. In class, he teaches the ideas well and the homework mostly goes over the concepts he talks about in class. However, he actually enjoys trying to trick students on the midterms. He WILL put questions and concepts that you have never seen before used in strange ways and worded very unclearly, and expect you to apply your basic understanding of the concept to these very abstract ways of thinking. There is no curve on any midterm, and he holds them in a classroom in baker not during class-time usually sometime at night (ours were at 7pm) and he gives you as much time as you need for them. because of this he makes them expectionially challenging and they take around 3 hours to complete. So, basically you have 2 finals instead of midterms. To conclude: Take holtzapple if you want to be challenged. If you do not understand physics he can really help you, however this comes at the price of exceptionally hard quizes and midterms. Dont say I didnt warn you

He's a dork and a great professor.

Only to go his office hours when he has office hours. He answers his own questions in class. His jokes are classic 1990's dad jokes. He has a daughter on Campus ;D Who works at Picos. When he's wearing his red polo, you know he banged. Holtzapple is the most savage, gangsta professor you'll ever have.

Dr. Rob is just an overall good guy. He is passionate about what he is teaching, and as interesting to listen to as a physics teacher can be. His lectures are clear and to the point the point. I never went to his office hours, but he was very willing to answer my questions after class. That being said, he is a decently hard teacher. His tests aren't easy, but they won't screw you over if you have studied. He gives weekly quizzes which greatly vary in difficulty. Homework is assigned weekly and is not from the book, in fact you don't even need the book for this class. I highly recommend Dr. Rob, and would take another class taught by him in a heartbeat

Dr. Robert has some of the most informative, succinct, and organized lectures of any teacher I've ever had. There's a problem set of about 12 problems due every week and a weekly quiz. I had never taken a single physics class before this one so I knew going in that I would have to put in lots of work. His problem sets are not easy by any means but he is incredibly helpful in office hours (I went every single week). The midterms are outside of class and he gives you basically unlimited time, within reason, to complete them. Overall, I would highly recommend Holtzapple!

Best prof at Cal Poly.

Overall, Holtzapple is a great professor. Unlike most of my class, I had never taken physics in high school and immediately felt like I was playing catch up in his class, but his notes are SO detailed, and practice problems are super helpful. The class has a homework set due every Thursday, and quizzes this day too. The tests are very hard, but still he grades fair. I would recommend him for anyone, especially people like myself who have never taken a physics class before!

He was really good at explaining the material really clearly. Super easy to understand. He is also super helpful in office hours (just don't save all your questions for the day before a midterm - you won't be the only one and might not get your question answered). Also, the midterms are super straightforward. They pretty much come straight from the examples in class or homework.

Professor Holtzapple is a brilliant instructor who very clearly presents the course materials and his class prepares you well for the quizzes and tests. He talks in a loud and passionate voice that captured my attention and prevented me from zoning off in class. He also holds midterms on Thursday nights outside of lecture, and gives you unlimited time (within reason) to finish the exams which I believe was helpful. I highly recommend taking Professor Holtzapple.

Prof. Holtzapple cares about his students and this is evident if you attend his office hours. Assigns weekly homework, quizzes, and three exams. He expects you to work hard and in the end you will learn the material well. I would certainly take him again if given the oppurtunity.

Holtzapple is as awesome as everyone says he is. His lectures are extremely clear... and he usually always starts by doing a brief review of what he last discussed. They are easy to follow. He is pretty funny, and he keeps everything relevant. He does lot of example problems in class... also very helpful. He cares a lot about student success and is very helpful in office hours. His quizzes were generally easy, but be warned, the midterms are much harder than the quizzes. His midterms were challenging, for sure. But he does curve. Problem sets due every week. They were good-- very useful for the quizzes and midterms. Overall, this class was really straightforward, and he is a truly excellent professor. Wish I could take him for every PHYS class.

As a previous evaluation stated...this is not Cal Tech! Dr. Holtzapple is a great teacher but has high expectations!

Great professor, super cool in office hours. Likes to joke and can be very helpful. However, he is a major dick when it comes to homework, tests, and the final. He acts like we are computer science majors who have been programming since birth, when in reality we are just physics majors. The prereqs for this class are calc 1-4 and the intro to physics series. But he teaches his class like we have been in college for 5 years and have learned everything there is to know about physics and math. The class is way too hard. The homework is nearly impossible. He expects way too much out of his students and grades really unfairly. Overall this class made me want to jump off the 6th floor of Baker because of how stressful it was. No one should have to spend 30+ hours a week squinting and sitting crouched over staring at their computers just to finish some bullshit assignment.

Tough class. Explained well but at a very high level. Felt like I was a Cal Tech!

I actually liked Modern 2, so I was really excited to take this class, but it ended up being super disappointing. First of all, he doesn't present the material in a very clear and organized way, the homework is incredibly time consuming and he isn't helpful enough in office hours. My biggest problem with him is that he's a very inconsistent and unfair grader. He also put an entire classical mechanics problem on the midterm??? like why would you ever do that

Clearly the best professor in the physics department. Great lectures, homework that was challenging, unlimited time midterm exams. I wish I had Dr. Holtzapple for all of my physics classes.

Pretty fun class. Learned Dirac's solution to S.H.O. and the connection to creation/annihilation operators, Perturbation Theory, The Variational Method, applied these techniques to understand the numerous Hydrogen energy level corrections. This class gives you a glimpse of how deep the physics rabbit hole goes. Tests were easier than 405, expect time-consuming problem sets though.

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