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Pretty good teacher. A difficult test grader and the mid term and final are killer. But overall pretty entertaining and fun field trips!

Facinating man,Very smart, if you are not afraid to learn he the teacher for you.very fair.extra credit possible.

Loved this class! Repka is a great instructor, he really knows his stuff and will take the time to explain what you don't understand but you have to ask! The rock/mineral tests are tough but fun. Rock On Repka!

Love, love, love, love this teacher. He is fun and passionate about what he teaches. If you show interest in the class, than the class is easy and fun!!

I love this man!! He is a great teacher. Of course, you MUST study and do the reading if you want a decent grade. Plus, that deep voice of his is incredible!

Prof. Repka is one of the best instructors at Saddleback! I didn't think that I liked science until I took his class. Although the class is a little hard. Find a couple of people to study with and you are golden.

i think he is a great teacher. he knows his stuff and really enjoys helping others learn. i wish i could retake astronomy 21 because of how much awesome stuff i learned in it. and you people who thought he was too hard obviously arent good students. its called STUDY. then you will do fine!

I absolutely love Jim. He is one of the greatest teachers. He is opinionated, and the man does like to talk, but if you need help w/ anything he's there for you. His field studies are always a blast, I recommend Death Valley.

Jim is a really nice man. He makes himself very available to his students and is very open to answering questions. Science isn't my favorite, but he gave me an "A" for my hard work.

I don't understand what everyone is talking about. Tests are hard but that's GEOLOGY - EVERYTHING is in the notes from class and he gives you a chance to make up the problems you missed on every test. He knows his stuff. He makes time to help outside of class and doesn't burden you with lots of HOMEWORK! Just ask questions and Study!

He can be a little long-winded at times, but he gets the point across. He tries really hard during the labs so students unerstand the material. Just make flashcards for all the rock and mineral tests and you'll be fine.

Fantastic teacher. Quizzes and multiple choice portions of tests damn near impossible to do well on, but lots of opportunities to make it up. Incredibly nice guy who actually cares about whether you learn or not. Not an easy class but you will learn a lot.

I truly enjoyed Jim's class. He may not have the appearance of a stereotypical professor, but he's a laid-back "real" guy and he truly wants to see his student enjoy learning. This is not an easy class, so if you're not willing to work hard, or looking for an easy A, go someplace else.

He is a good teacher, but teaching a boring subject. The tests are hard because he doesn't give you a study guide but there is point recovery so you can't fail. He really does care about the learning process and is passionate about his studies

With his grading scheme I would not have had to take the final & still get an A. You are surrounded with Earth (Rocks & Minerals galore). As with Borella learn to draw and describe your drawings! Tried to convince me to Chg interest from Biology to Geo. Many took it for Lab units rather than passion or intest in Earth.

This is a good professor and very well spoken. he goes out of his way to help you understand the subject. he gives quizes every week that are about 15 questions but you can correct them and turn them back in for credit. Your mid- term and final are quiz questions (for the most part:) Great attendance= Better Grade with this professor.

Repka is a great guy, and I highly recommend you talk to him personally if you are interested in natural sciences. He really knows his stuff. His lectures can be extremely boring though. His quizzes and tests can be hard, but he lets get make up points on most. His grading system is much more lenient then most other teachers. Fun class easy A.

This is an easy lab class if you study a little bit. Repka is very helpful with labs and answering questions and emphasizes concepts over precision. Rock quizzes are fun but require studying (flashcards). Go to class and read the book -- he tests from lectures and text.

Great teacher! If you attend his classes and read the book it will be a very easy class. He also let's students recover points for each test and quiz. If you turn in point recoveries and study for quizzes/tests you should be set. His class isn't an easy A but it is fun and he is also a great teacher who enjoys his subject.

Dr. Repka is a fantastic teacher. He loves the subject matter and is very helpful. It's not an easy class but if you take notes in class and read the book you'll be fun. As a bonus, he's very entertaining!

He's a very good teacher. Hard class though. if you try a little, you'll be fine and pass.

Great class with the occasional (very fun) field trip. Repka hands out final essays, allows point recovery, drops lowest scores and has plenty of extra credit on rock quizzes. May get sidetracked during lectures but is good at answering quesions. Take notes, study handouts quizzes, KNOW ROCKS and it's hard not to get an A.

Jim and Larry Twicken are a dynamic duo. Jim is a rad professor who was clearly passionate about his work. I really enjoyed his lectures and he ended up leading me straight to geology. GO SLUGS!

He loves his job and knows his stuff. He does test corrections to help keep your grade up. Read and study the book!!!!!!!!! You dont always need the exact book but you need a good one. I like him a lot so please take him!!

Super smart and loves geology. Tests are hard but there is point recovery and grading scale is low. Funny and entertaining. Recommended.

Jim is an enthusiastic geologist who wants his students to do well. He has a few 15 pt quizzes (with pt recovery), rock ID quizzes, 1 midterm and final. He lectures a lot about certain subjects but moves through others very fast. You need to read the book to do well. Overall, I would recommend this class if its for your major but not for GE.

The most lenient teacher I have ever had. There is quiz recovery for all quizzes and even the midterm. Yes, class can be boring but he is a teacher worth taking. I got a B and I missed a couple of assignments and classes.

This class is very boring but he's a very nice guy and will do everything he can to pass you! His quizzes and the midterm have point recoveries and even though the material is miserably boring I'm sure you can at least get a C like I did. Ew all the rocks we examined. I never want to see another rock again.

Repka is a pretty laidback professor! Doesn't take attendance, but lectures are very helpful and probably the only way you will pass the class. Curves pretty much all the assignments and allows you to make up points. Does get sidetracked often, but lectures are very interesting! Very lenient and laidback professor. Not too hard to get an A.

This man likes to teach... interacts with his students, answers questions... actually seems to give a dm. I had him spring of '12 and figured he deserved a review.

Pay attention, do the reading and study. Easy class to pass, but more effort is needed for an A. I would recommend the class because Repka is very helpful and geology is a cool and interesting subject. (And I'm not even a Geology major!)

If you like astronomy please take the class with him! He is an awesome teacher and explaines very well. The class is difficult for lazy people, if you pay attention to the class, do the quiz recovery and study before the midterm the finals you'll get and B or an A for sure

What a cool professor. he has so much knowledge and is so friendly i lived his class so much im taking astronomy next semester and i cant wait. sometimes he gets off topic, but he is a very fair and fun professor. yes sometimes his lectures can get a little boring, but thats to be expected many classes are like that.

Best Geology and Astronomy in Saddleback ! The most interesting class I took in my entire life, and worth every minute spent there. Highly recommended. I took his astro 20 class fall 2013 and now astro 21 fall 2014

Professor Repka is a really good professor. Make sure you take notes on everything he talks about or puts on the board because that is what the tests are based on. I didn't bother buying the book because he doesn't assign reading from it. He is super helpful and knows tons about geology. Also, so the test recovery. It's really just free points.

Great professor. He's very kind and enjoys what he does. He is very intellectual and knows exactly what he's talking about and explains things well. Though class could be boring, he did pretty darn well for a subject like geology. He's always there when you need him so there's no excuse not to do well in his class. My favorite professor.

Repka was the first professor I had at Saddleback and my only complaint is that I can't take more classes from him. He is the reason I switched my major to geology. Make sure to take notes on his lectures. He will say he will post them on blackboard but it will never happen. Tends to ramble but is passionate about the subject. Def take his class.

I absolutely love Repka! He is the reason I changed my major to Geology. He is so funny and kind, and he makes the subject material so interesting because HE IS THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE UNIVERSE! My favorite part of his classes are his lectures because he is just so knowledgeable in the subject, its nuts. Like how can one man know so much info

Probably the most boring classes ive ever taken. Took it cause i needed it for my GE, but wow this class was hard to sit through. Your grade is based on quizzes, a midterm,& final, thats it. The only good thing was he allowed point recovery's after every quiz to earn back some points. Barley passed with a C, if you have a choice take something else

Jim is a great guy that knows more than just geology. He knows about ways to succeed in higher universities, and is an easy guy to approach. He also does the field study trips which are also extremely fun with him.

I took this class for GE, so it wasn't my cup of tea. The class was 3 hrs long and he just lectured the whole time, it was hard to keep my eyes open. However, he is extremely funny, easygoing, and offers EC. Repka is a very intelligent prof. and he knows his material. If geology is your thing this is your class. If not its definitely doable.

I loves these class. However, his lecture can be hard to sit through. His test can be hard, but he allow point recovery on all quizzes and midterm. Doing his point recovery on every test allow to get point back and passing this class. We don't do much in this class. He is a really nice guy and easy to talk too.

He's a good guy with a ton of knowledge. Like others have said, Repka can go off on tangents and details. These tangents make up most of the lecture but not most of the tests. He wants you to understand in a holistic way but there's not enough time to learn everything. Still, he cares and will make sure you understand if you ask. Forgiving guy.

Two papers, two in-class essays, two take-home essays, and two presentations constitute the coursework. You read four books, too. It is easy for an honors course and there's extra credit. The class covers topics ranging from climate change to the social contract theory and is very relevant. Note: grading takes until the end of the semester.

Professor Repka is the best Geology Professor at Saddleback College. He's funny, awesome, and explains everything clearly. Repka deserves to be the department chair of science at Saddleback. Take Repka if you can. I would highly recommend taking his class. Repka wants students to enjoy geology by having the least amount of stress possible.

Repka made me love Geology. Amazing field trips and fascinating lectures. He's a little disorganized, but if you put in the effort, he goes out of his way to make sure you do well. Geology is one of my favorite subjects now!

caring professor that wants you to pass the class with the best grade possible. gave's you the chance to make up your quizzes and your midterm! not a easy grader!

If you have to take a physical science, this is one of the best professors to take it with. Be warned, his classes are lecture heavy. There is no busy work, just make sure you show up. There is a ton to learn from this professor, and he always asks if anyone needs clarification. He made rocks interesting and fun.

This would've been a good class, with a different professor. He is very helpful and nice but super monotone, so its hard to stay awake.

Best Professor ever! I took his Astronomy & Geology Courses. Lectures were easy to follow. He cares about his students. Gives them a choice on what kind of test to take. Offers Extra Credit. Take Professor Repka and you will definitely enjoy his classes. He likes to talk and sometimes he wanders off subject, but it is still very interesting!

Space can be an extraordinary thing to learn when you work with this teacher.

I love this teacher; he is so passionate about this subject ; I am in the class currently. I agree that the lectures are very hard to sit through because it is 3 hours of lecturing; so yes it is very slow moving and feels like forever so it is hard to stay sometimes but who cares! He makes the class easy and he is super kid and respectful.

This class was a breeze, even before the switch to online. His lectures are very very boring but he is a nice guy. We didn't have a midterm and just had a weekly quiz up until the final. You have to really try to not pass his class as his curve makes the class much more doable. Overall was one of the easiest A's I've gotten.

You will learn a lot. This class only had quizzes and tests, no homework or discussion boards. I liked it and I learned a lot about Earth, the Solar System and everything in between. Highly recommended if you want to broaden your horizons.

I took Jim's class for the field study, which has nothing to do with what people complain of, just keep a notebook. But attentive, answers every question, cares about students and even covered for my deficit $ with laundry mat. People probably clash with his more traditional style, you've to pay attention, great if you like history and learning.