Walkup, John  

Professor Walkup is by far one of the BEST professors I have had at Cal Poly!! He is always available to help when help is needed. He is practically always in his office, and if you cannot find him there you can post questions on the class web page and he'll answer you there within a reasonable time frame(normally within the hour- even late at night too!). He is easy to talk to and in no way intimidating like some professors can be. His grading scale is nice in that the homework and lab can really help you if you struggle on the midterms. 10% lab, 20% homework, 20% midterm 1, 30% midterm 2, and 20% final. Having the second midterm worth the most was really helpful rather than the final being worth the most when you have all the other large tests of the quarter that same week. Even though he does assign homework and does collect and grade it, it really is not that bad. I found it to be really helpful and it actually helped my grade a lot. He is also really helpful with the problems, he'll answer them in class if he has time or you can go to office hours or post a question on the web page. As for tests they really are not that bad if you have studied. He holds at least 3 review sessions before each test and just goes over sample problems like you would encounter on the test(go to at least one review session before each test!!). And you actually have a layout of what each test is going to be like before you actually take it. He tells you exactly what kind of problems you are going to see on the test. He also gives great partial credit. As for lecture he's quite entertaining. He really goes the extra mile for his students so that they may do well. He is a teacher that truly loves what he does and it shows.

This teacher was the best teacher i have had at cal poly. he is funny and teaches the class really well. He has office hours all the time and is willing to help with what ever questions you have problems with. i learned alot in his class. take this guy if you can.

Dr Walkup is the best teacher to have for any physics lecture!!!!! He hold review sessions beofre every test, where he will basically give you the problems on the test. He grades based on your knowledge of the material, not how much work you do or don't do. I would take him again for any class any time!!!!

He's a funny man and a good professor. He gives homework every week for credit and it really helps for his tests. I thought his tests were sometimes hard, but I think I just wasn't understanding the physics, anfter a lot of practice it hit me and i didn't do so bad on the final. 2 midterms and a final. I'd recomend him, he's VERY helpful and easy to approach, has a lot of office hours.

He is a good teacher, but his tests are difficult even though he tells you exactly what problems are on the tests, just with different #'s, and 20% of each test is take-home. The homework is crappy because he has a grader do all the work and has no idea how long it takes a normal person to do 12-15 physics problems. If I could give any advise on how to get a good grade it would be to go to the review sessions that he holds before tests.

A really funny guy, but a little unorganized when it comes to teaching. I like his philosophy of breaking concepts down to their simplest and clearest. Then you can apply those ideas to the harder problems. Kudos for not giving us countless formulas to memorize! You only really need a few. I recommend him, but I don't think he's going to be at Cal Poly next year.

This guy is a very cool teacher even beside his jokes that can't be found in any other teacher here at cal poly he is also very willing to help out and looks for the simplest ways for you to learn the material (not the easiest ways for him to teach it). If you take Walkup, you will definently be satisfied with your quarter.

John understands the subject. The expectations of the class are simple, the types of questions that will be on the test are made crystal clear. Homework is the wackness, expect a heavy workload. Homework is only 10% of your final grade, but without doing it you'll have no idea when it comes test time. Homework problems are more difficult than those on tests. Office hours, so far as I'm concerned, are more than just a nice option when you're stuck- they're required to simply understand the material. Class lecture consists of only one or two examples, and few demos. Very early on he told us he believe in neither. Review sessions are a must if you're serious about your grade. Study. If you stay worried enough to study, get the help the class demands, and don't cut.. I don't see a reason to get lower than a B. Class averages were curved slightly on the midterms and (presumably) the final- they hovered around the mid C range. On a more personal note, he is very approachable, and very good in office hours. He makes the effort to be entertaining.. and succeeds often enough for at least a smile. I recomend the teacher with reservation. Go in with a work ethic and it's all good.

Walkup is definately one of the best professors here at poly. He made a potentially difficult/arduous subject like physics interesting, entertaining, and easy. The homework took a lot of time, but it was invaluable to understand the material. The review sessions were awesome, and his tests were extremely clear cut- he told us nearly exactly what was going to be on each problem, so it was easy to prepare for them. Dr. Walkup made coming to 8AM physics lecture easy. Superior prof, all around. (too bad he won't be here anymore!!)

I had Walkup for lab. He was somewhat funny and he tried to make the lab as straightforward as possible. He explains what equations you should use for your calculations, and he's not that picky about the format of your lab report. However, he is picky about grammar, bur I don't think he marks off points for it. He'll just tell you not do it next time. The labs don't take long at all. If you want to stay and finish writing up your lab report you better hurry up. He likes to leave a little early sometimes and he'll rush you out. Other than that, he's a pretty good lab instructor. His grading is fair.

Dr. Walkup is an awesome teacher, who puts so much effort into his classes. He is always on campus (even on weekends) to help students with any questions they might have. He also holds review sessions before tests, which are very helpful. His lectures aren't that bad, he makes them interesting, especially when he has had to much coffee! I hated physics 121 and got a C in the class. Dr. Walkup helped me to improve and even begin to enjoy physics, and I ended up with an A. I would take his class and I liked him so much I plan on taking him again for Physics 123!

Dr. Walkup is not a good professor. He teaches highschool style. There is no form to his lectures. He goes all over the place and admits that the book will explain a certain topic better than he can. Throughout the quater, I lost all my motivation for this class due to his poor presentation of the material. I suggest you stay away from this guy if you can.

Probably one of the most disorganized teachers I've ever had. He's a really cool, funny guy, but damn can that guy ramble for hours about literally nothing. The coolest thing he does is offer review sessions; do the homework (don't need to understand it), but definitely go to the review sessions. Have fun, jk

Dr. Walkup's teaching ability is on the highschool level. He cannot present the material in a logical way for the students to understand. There are loopholes in his presentations...Gaps of important knowledge that were left out of his lecture. That is why showing up to lecture is useless because you don't gain anything from them. At times the class would just laugh at him becuase he is so lost. Walkup is not a competent educator and does not deserve to lecture for Cal Poly's physics department.

Professor Walkup is the shizzy! My roomate had him for lecture and said they guy made learning physics really easy. I only had him for lab, but he still conveyed material well in there. He doesnt require students to write full lab reports, there are about 3 labs that you actually have to write more than the data from the expirementation and the answer to a simple question. Try to get this guy at all costs, even if it means you have to wake up at 7am to do so, hes worth it. PROFESSOR WALKUP RULES!

Professor Walkup is a great teacher and really knows his stuff. His jokes are hilarious and class is always interesting. Eventhough I got a D for my grade, it doesn't mean he couldn't teach, I just messed up, but he is a great professor and is always willing to help his students out. I have never seen a professor more available and caring for his students than him. Just watch out for physics problems from his kick ass problem book.

Professor Walkup is a great teacher. He always made himself available for the students. He is pretty easy going and his jokes are hilarious. The only thing that I didn't like about the class is that he decided not to use the book about halfway through the quarter and gave us his own problems, which were a little confusing since it was the first quarter he did this. I suggest taking Walkup for physics.

Dr. Walkup is probably the best professor I have had at Cal Poly thus far. He makes the class interesting, and he is always telling jokes. He is funny in class and that helps when it is really early. He also presents the material in a way that makes it really easy to understand. He is also the most available professor I have ever had. I guarantee he is more committed to his students than any other professor. He is on campus until like 10 at night, he even comes in on weekends so you can get help with homework, which he does collect, but it isn't hard. If you go to his office he will work the whole thing out for you. He also uses blackboard to communicate with his students so it is really easy to get a hold of him and ask questions. IF YOU CAN, TAKE WALKUP!!!

Walkup is the man! simple as that, he should get like a teacher of the year award or something... always there for his students, grades fairly, easy homework, fairly easy tests if you go to the review sessions and study a little. I like the eject feature he put on his tests, all though I didn't use it once--it provided a good laugh during test time. THats another thing, hes always cracking jokes cause hes high on coffee... haha =). anyway, take johnny if you can, he knows his stuff really well, helps you out on blackboard or in the office at practicaly anytime of the day or night... i'm thinking of taking physics 123 in the fall just cause hes kool, even though i dont have too. GL! crash it, he'll let u in

He was a good teacher. I had him for the lab portion only, but he explained things VERY well compared to my lecture teacher. He'll answer any question you have and explain it until you understand it. He was always doing funny imitations of things which helped make the class more interesting. For lab, we could always turn in our "reports" when we were done, we never had to do formal lab reports or have a copy for each person. We always got out early. He was a good guy and I'd recommend him.

So far, he's the worst professor I've had. He make jokes during class, that are stupid. His test are made up of problems that are nothing like the homework. He does not believe in using the book, so he even make up his own homework problems, which take hours to do. I've now taken physics 132 & 133 and realized that physics 131 was hard because I had a sucky teacher. I do NOT advise anyone to take him.

This guy is a clown that has no idea how to treat students. Wacky Walkup talks to the floor and is an asshole. His tests are made for a 2 hour period though we only have 50 minutes, and he blames it on the students that we couldn't finish the test. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS NUT!! HE HAS NO PERSONAL SKILLS AND TREATS YOU LIKE YOU ARE DUMB IF YOU ASK HIM A QUESTION!!!!

Walkup's tests are ridiculously long for the time given. Our class average on the first midterm was a 63% after he curved the scores...still a little unfair, huh. His homework system sucks and is done over the internet through a stupid service which many students have had problems with. He explains concepts and problems okay, however he does not do any demonstrations. Many of my fellow students and I agree that his expectations of our problem solving abilities are too high given his lecture.

I think Walkup is a cool person personally. He is a down-to-earth guy kind of guy. As an instructor, he expects too much from his students. His lectures are very general, and he expects you understand the specifics, which is hard for many students. If you have a good background in Physic, he is a good fit If you are shaky in your physic background...find someone else

He is a nice guy, but an extremely boring professor. I went to his office hours a couple times and he is very helpful, but lectures are ridiculous. The homework was done on the internet via a homework service. The homework service was ok, but expect to work you ass off to finish. The homework generally takes about 5 hours a week. His midterms are much easier than the homework, but his final is the same difficulty as the homework. So do the homework!! I wouldn't highly recommend him, but is probably equivalent to most other profs.

Well, this professor can get boring at times, but he does have his moments. His homework is very difficult, and can take hours to "finish". The online homework service he uses can be slow going and frustrating, but if you can do those problems, you will have no trouble on his tests. Since I had trouble with the problems of the homework service, though, I ended up having trouble on the tests. Overall though, he is a decent professor.

This asshole is failure in teaching physics. He expects too much from you. Problems on the exams are ridicuous hardly, average students like me will never solve it. My study partner is hella good in physics and got a D-. His lecture is completely unrelevant to the test, so does the homework. GET AWAY FROM THIS ASSHOLE AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. TRUST ME.

First off, wake up Walkup! I had an 8am class, and the guy was never awake (his teaching showed it too). Good luck getting help in his office, he makes it impossible toward the end of the quarter to go and get help. I guess he was an okay teacher, he did give oodles of partial credit and his grading system is pretty cool, and really helps the student. So if you end up taking him, it's not a big deal, you'll be fine.

Walkup makes labs quick and easy just like they should be. He's a really cool funny guy, but does not want to be suck in a lab for 3 hours any more than you do. He lets you get away with doing the experiments only once, and a few weeks, he doesn't like the experiments so he doesn't make us do anything. We only have to do lame group write-ups that you can finish in class, so there is really no work involved. He owns.

Professor walkup is not a bad professor, but he doesn't teach much. His class is for students with good Physics background. He doesn't like to teach from a book which is a BIG problem for students who want to look at examples. Basically, he expects a lot, but hardly teaches. Take him if your a genius in physics.

Physics is going to be hard no matter who you take. Walkup is probably more interesting than most of the other people and he certainly isn't any more boring. In office hours he will go through any problem you ask help on and will try to make things as clear as possible. If you get a bad grade in the class and blame it on him, first consider the possibility that you just won't get it no matter who is teaching the stuff. He's good. Take him and work hard. (Online homework system ain't so hot, however)