He's a really nice guy that likes to tech. Sometimes the information he teaches isn't crystal clear but he's always around to help you if you're need. His tests are super easy because he gives you a study guide which is pretty much everything on the test. He's really lenient. I don't think that i've really studied for this class and i have an A.

Mr. Lakin bends over backwards to ensure students are getting what can be a "dense" subject. His tests are straight forward, reflective of his lectures, but not always the assigned homework (the book, in a word, sucks). Although it may not matter in the grand scheme of things, Gaio also seems to be an all around decent guy.

One of the nicest profs I've had. A saint. Always around to help. Approachable,welcoming, always smiling. His lectures, tests and labs are straightforward.He makes physics easy and understandable. His office hours are always crowded, people stay and do homework, he helps you if you need it. No other prof does that.Oh, and he's drop-dead gorgeous.

Gaio is such a nice person , he is soo helpful and understanding and he always makes sure that everyone gets what he is talking about ..i had a B in physics 1 and an A in 2 ..he is a very excellent teacher!

Awesome, awesome professor. Cares about teaching physics and making sure anyone who's paying attention will understand and get a chance to prove it. Doesn't sweat the small stuff like if you have to miss a class or a lab or even a test - you can make it up. Textbook is not important for this class. Never touched my textbook and got an A.

One of the best teachers I have ever known. He makes difficult material easy to understand. I was nervous about taking this course since I have not had strong background in physics. I truly enjoyed this course thanks to Gaio. He is an amazing instructor! He is always ready to help but you need to be willing to put effort into studying this subject.

Great teacher!!! In my opinion the flagship professor of the Normandale physics department. He could teach monkeys how to reverse engineer the space shuttle, he's that good!!!

He is very nice with a professional approach. Also very highly knowledgeable but I question his ability as a teacher. While taking his class it seems very easy but long afterward, you find out there are topics he was suppose to cover that never were. He also grades on things not in the books or mentioned in class.

Good professor, class was a little unorganized though. He readily explained the material nad was there to help.

Best teacher of Physics I've ever seen! He is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, funny and will make the class interesting for you. If you wanna take physics due to any reason, take his class, and trust me your experience will be much better than any other physics professor.

Very nice guy. Had a hard time at first, but started t get it at the end. Gaio is helpful. He is not very timely with getting back assignments though.

Awesome teacher, able to break things down into easily understandable parts that make sense. Didn't need the book. It would be nice if he was a bit more detailed orientated with example problems and homework. Test are mostly what he says they are going to be. Do his problems and you'll do fine.

Nicest guy you will ever meet and super laid-back. Made one of my weakest subjects into one of my favorites. Hands down, one of the best professors I've ever had. Keep up the good work Gaio!

Very good professor, likes teaching, and is very helpful. His class was my first at Normandale and was probably my favorite.

He is a super nice guy, and is great for taking the time to explain things. Very awsome teacher.

Awesome professor! I went into the class thinking I would get a B or a C but actually got an A! He's super helpful and hilarious!

I'm not a person who is into physics, and I started off not so well but ended much better. His lectures are pretty straight forward, and his practice problems are exactly what you will see on the tests. His online answers for the practice problems were often wrong and his work hard to follow, but he is very available for help. Overall a nice guy.

He is wonderful... simply an amazing teacher. very helpful and approachable. His lectures are not boring,and as long as you pay attention and do the work you should be fine

HE WAS GREAT! I personally hate Physics, but he made me enjoy the course. He made himself available, especially for a summer course. He's funny and answers questions in a meaningful way. By far, BEST classroom experience. Take him so you know what I'm talking about!!

Really a great professor. Will do his absolute best to make sure you understand the material. He's incredibly funny and let's you retake one of the tests you did bad on. Don't take the class unless you need it for your major though. REALLY! Trust me on this one.

Gaio is a great professor, he is very helpful, friendly, and his lectures are not boring. I managed an 'A' in his class when I have never taken physics before and I only got a 'C' in College Algebra. That being said, it still wasn't easy. Do the practice problems and you'll do great in his class. I got the chance to re-take an exam.

I could not have asked for a better instructor when it came to introductory Physics. Lectures are available online, so content you didn't quite understand the first time it was covered is available 24/7. He has nearly 6 hours of office time for students to come in with any question. There is no excuse to get anything lower than a B in this class!

Great professor!! I took both physics courses in the summer and enjoyed it. It is a lot of work but he is really helpful with 6+ hours of office hours a week. Do all the practice problems and ask him any questions. He does not use a book only his lecture notes. All of his lectures are online, which helps for review. He is also really funny!!!

Gaio rarely requires a textbook. He provides lectures and lecture notes online and he takes time every class period to answer any questions. He focuses more on making sure you know HOW to do problems, rather than checking if your math is correct.

Excellent professor! Condensed the vast material of statics into what we really need and have us simple methods to approach problems. Some complain about the hybrid course, but honestly statics in 5 weeks is not supposed to be so easy. Lakin warned us at the beginning of the course about the qork load. He also is a fair grader.

Fantastic teacher. He doesn't require a book (so you save money) and as long as you go to class, take notes, ask questions and ASK FOR HELP if you need it, you will do very well in this course. He's incredibly helpful and there are no surprises on his tests. Take him.

He is a nice guy. However very disorganized. lecture are ok, no formal book which is really for this class. i hope he will get better

He is really interesting and kinda funny.

Gaio is a great guy. He is funny and easy to learn from. He made physics interesting for me. I highly recommend him. He doesn't have a text book, so make sure you take notes. He didn't respond to some of my emails though. But still a great professor.

I looked forward to coming to this class. I loved that there was no textbook--it made it really clear what you did and didn't need to know for the exam. Gaio was extremely helpful during office hours so if you're having trouble just go ask questions! He's very friendly and approachable.

Gaio is fantastic. He takes a difficult, boring subject and makes it fun and interesting. He has a great sense of humor and is passionate about student success, spending many hours each week outside of class helping students understand the material. If you want to do well in physics and are willing to put the time in, Gaio will make it happen.

great teacher, very funny and very approachable. tests aren't easy, but they cover exactly what he teaches. plus he is a very fair grader. my only complaint is that this class was a hybrid, meeting only once a week-so not a lot of time to ask questions (besides his office hours).

I loved him and his class, I've never enjoyed physics EVER!! Hes is very funny and very helpful. His tests are not so hard nor tricky. Again he is very helpful and he wants students to do well!! Ask Him questions and go to office hours, he's a nice person to talk to. One of the greatest professors I've had at Normandale.

Take this professor for as many classes as you possibly can. One of the best STEM prof's at Normandale. The class isn't easy, but you'll learn all the hard stuff easily with his guidance. Then you'll feel awesome about yourself because you'll wake up one day and do difficult things with ridiculous ease. He's pretty much the Chuck Norris of teachers

Fun teacher, material is tough, he makes it straight forward and gives all the material needed.

Very clear on process and expectations. Grades on methodology rather than perfect answers. Boils the class down from a very complicated subject with lots of "shortcuts" that might work to one method that works for everything. He recently dropped his hybrid format, records lecture and examples on a tablet and posts it all for later review.

The concepts of Dynamics are not easy, explained by Gaio they are easily understandable. Every lecture with examples is done live on a tablet and posted later for review if needed. Very helpful especially in office hours.

I avoided taking Physics for years because I thought that I would not enjoy it. Gaio is a great lecturer. Organized, knowledgeable, and entertaining. What's not to love? He is always ready to help if there is something that is just not sinking in. I ended up loving Physics. I'd take a class from him again in a heartbeat.

Hands down, best professor i have ever had.

It is extremely difficult to get an A in his class. tests are 80% of your grade, lectures quizzes are 10%, and labs are 10%. There is no homework, so you better hope you do well in his tests. His in-class lectures are very helpful and informative. I can't say the same for his labs though. All he does is answer questions without really teaching it

Crystal clear instruction, great sense of humor, exceeds all expectations for helpfulness. Grade is 80% tests, 10% lecture quizzes, 10% labs. He offers one exam make-up. An A is a 93 and above; easy B/B+, medium-difficulty A. Flexible--option for online hybrid. You will need to supplement if studying for MCAT but class builds strong foundation.

His class is not difficult to pass if you put in the time and effort. Mr. Lakin is very approachable is eager to answer any questions. Even though he is pretty funny guy, sometimes his lectures get a little long. Overall, great guy, good class, would recommend!

Very funny at times he tries to make the best of dry material. No text book, he gives you all of the information you need in class so you need to take really good notes. Would take again he gives lots of example problems and tries to make sure people understand what his is doing on the board.

Every obstacle to learning has been removed! No books, no reading. All lecture videos/notes are posted. All practice problems/ solutions are posted. Lectures are clear and concise. Even pencil, paper, & calculator are made available! If you can't learn from Gaio, Physics is not your thing. Infinite patience, funny & constant course improvement.

Awesome professor super funny and teaches a material in a clear way. He gives all equations on tests so you don't really have to memorize things. The tests are tough because there are only a few questions worth a lot of points and mistakes are easy to make. You get one retake though. Labs and class were not mandatory notes are posted online.

Gaio is a great professor. If you go to class and at least look over assignments you will be fine on tests. He makes his tests to be fundamentals so if you can do some of the harder problems he assigns you will be just fine. Good sense of humor and a good lecturer.

Here is the thing Gaio is a good professor. Funny and have a good sense of humor. However, be careful when it comes to assignments, including Exams and Quizzes because he doesn't assign a lot of them and the worth a lot from you grade. And make sure to keep up with your score in D2L, and make sure he posts the right score

This professor was awesome. He really is willing to help you learn the material. If at any time you aren't understanding something, he will go through it again until you understand it.

Great teacher, very fun. I would highly recommend taking his classes. Beware of the solutions to homework assignments, they are mostly ok but it's not unusual for them to be incorrect.

Awesome professor, one of my favorites. No textbook required, so take good notes in class. The homework was given as daily assignments which I suspect are his previous homework problems just in smaller packages. Keep up on the homework and you'll do fine. The solutions aren't always correct though.

Took him for statics, dynamics and deform. He was a great teacher and his test are based off the homework. The only thing that can screw you over are the quizzes, or just a stupid mistake on the test since it all builds up from statics. Took statics and deform in the summer. Letter grade "A" starting at 92%, but was changed to a %94.

Only tests and quizzes make up your grade. He is awesome though. I think he's hilarious. If you can't pass physics with him then you'll never pass. He's awesome

Gaio is awesome! overall all I enjoyed his class. grading wise the class is out of 100 points so there's little room for error. his grading for an A is 92% and up because there is no homework or labs are 0 points. BE SURE TO DO WELL ON LECTURE EXAMS. each point is like 1% of your grade. Lectures you can watched on youtube. everything is cumulative.

Gaio is a great teacher! He has some very good lectures and he records all of them so you can go back and review if needed. All of your grade is made up of Exams(70%), Lecture quizzes(20%) and Lab exams(10%). No homework o attendance but you are likely to not pass if you aren't there. Overall one of the best professor's I have had! Wicked smart!

Best professor in Minesota. Best professor in U.S.A . Best professor in the world.

Gaio is super funny, really nice, and explains everything very simply. His tests are direct copies of the practice problems and lecture examples- go to class, you'll pass. Do the practice problems, you'll get an A. No homework, no textbook. Grade is totally based on your test scores but tests are simple, only four questions. He's the BEST

Gaio is seriously the best. 10/10 funniest prof and super knowledgeable. 5 exams total. 4 questions, taken directly from lecture examples and practice probs. Lecture quizzes every couple weeks. If you're showing up and taking notes you'll be fine. The lab exams were hardest. Just write everything down in lab and review your lab sheets beforehand.

What a guy! During class, he talked about 80's movies once and shows us youtube videos. During labs, he plays jazz and is a pretty cool dude. Also, he legit joined my band. Also, ask if he can sing for you, he's pretty good. IGN: 8/10 would recommend.

Gaio could teach a 10 year old physics. Lectures are easy to follow and he'll do examples on specific concepts if you ask. Only bad thing is that he takes forever to grade. You usually don't know how you did on the previous exam until after you take the next one. The best approach is to always be prepared and do all of the practice problems

Gaio is seriously the best physics teacher ever. if you don't understand physics from gaio you will never understand physics don't play to your self. we need more physics professors like Mr Gaio Lakin

No text book! Lectures and labs are easy. SLOW!!! at getting grades back. Makes it difficult to know where you stand in the class and what to study. Pretty frustrating. I know I could have gotten a higher grade if we had received test/quiz grades sooner. Almost a month late by the end of the semester. Not cool.

HE IS THE BEST! and the most creative person, he teaches everything if not more but in a very FUN way

Gaio is/was by far my favorite professor yet! If you go to lectures and pay attention, and do the few practice problems that he assigns, you will almost definitely get an A. He is amazing at explaining things and is super funny/friendly. If you have the chance, definitely take his class!!

He gave me good feedback when I got stuck, honest struggle grasping content, but I got through and so will you!!

Best professor ever. He was absolutely hilarious and grades fairly. Posted all lectures online so attendance was not mandatory, but helpful to show up.

Gaio is an amazing professor! I didnt do that well in his class but I still think that (means a lot then). Be prepared for a very hard class, do as many practice problems over and over and go to his office hours/ask a ton of questions - hes hilarious and a gem, just a tough class!

Gaio is the man. I took him in statics and dynamics. What you cover in class is what you are expected to know. Highly recommend it. Not strict on attendance as long as you make it to the important stuff such as quizzes and exams as well as complete your binder. All lectures are posted to youtube and can be looked at from home for binder completion.

Great professor. Best Engineering professor at Normandale. Take him for everything! Makes it fun and interesting and wants you to succeed! DO his binder work and you WILL pass!

I skipped statics just so I could take dynamics with Gaio. Easily the best professor at Norm. Funny, caring, tells you exactly what you need to know in a very easy to understand way. I transferred to UMN and took statics. I will say that Gaio has an incredibly simple and easy to understand approach. Once you take him, you'll never want to switch!

I truly enjoyed taking Thermodynamics with Prof. Lakin. His lectures were great, his homework truly helped you understand the material, he always asked if we had any questions, test problems were similar to ones given in homework. I would take another class with Prof. Lakin, no doubt.

Gaio is a great professor if you are willing to put the work in. His lectures can be dull but he does make jokes as he goes and his drawings are pretty fantastic. He does not require you to do the homework but if you want to do well on the tests you need to do it. Quizzes are all based on content and tests are all based on problems.

Such a sweet man! He structures the class nicely. For Hybrid, one day is for lectures and the other a lab. He goes over everything and is very flexible. He goes into detail thoroughly, but you still need to watch the videos every once in a while.

Professor Lakin is amazing and hilarious! Labs have required attendance and are not graded. His class is not very homework-heavy, and the lectures are well-explained and detailed. As long as you pay attention and take notes, it is easy to do well on the exams. Always willing to help students!

Concepts are taught using online videos, which are hard to understand at times, but he is willing to clarify. There are 2 sets of problems to complete and weekly assignments (once a month). There are also lectures where he either introduces harder concepts or reiterates things in videos. Study for tests, because they will make or break your grade.

Great Professor and course structure!! In a week, we watch 2-3 lecture videos, have ~2 assignments (w/ answer keys), & a lab & a bigger assignment (w/o keys) every other week. He accepts late work, but PLEASE KEEP UP W/ LECTURES & HOMEWORK!! He explains the lectures very clearly, & is open to help students. He sometimes replies to emails slowly.

Despite this being one of the easiest classes I've taken as a PSEO student, I really enjoyed it! Prof. Lakin truly cares about his students and I loved talking to him after class sometimes about engineering, college, career, etc. Very approachable and his lectures are also posted online if you miss a day. Will be taking more of his classes :)

Dr. Lakin was a great professor. I took his PHYS1201/1202 summer series as a visiting student from the UMN, and he was excellent. His lectures were very clear, and I thought all the lecture/daily problems were similar to what was expected on exams. There are daily homework assignments, but he gives a key to the homework so you can check your work!

If u have any questions he will take time to explain them further and during lectures he will do his best to keep u engaged by either showing funky drawings or cool fun facts, other than that he is very nice and I just think he teaches something that had a lot of material wether or not u take his class so a good teacher will make things easier

Gaio is a very friendly and thoughtful teacher. Lectures make sense, are to the point, and make tough concepts easy to understand. He makes it easy to get unstuck on a problem if you are stuck. He loves talking to students about life and joking whenever he can. Clear expectations were given for tests and labs.

Professor Lakin's PHYS1110 class is well-structured, with engaging lectures and manageable assignments. While challenging, his unique teaching methods and availability to help students make the course rewarding. I found Unstuck ai useful for exam prep.