She is a very good teacher, but the class subject is a little difficult so be prepared to think. She is always willing to help out, the tests are easy. she does require homework but it's not a ridiculous amount. She is also a very easy grader, so as long as you attempt the hw you will probably get full credit for it, and she curves the tests.

This class is too difficult for a 3 units class. The projects required to do is too time consuming. I wanted to take astro3 not calculus3

Laura makes a crazy complicated subject managable. It really is a difficult subject for some people but she takes extra pains to make sure that everyone grasps the ideas. Work load is no problem. 8 HW assignments, 3 exams and a final. The Projects are kind of a pain but whatever. Just do the reading and pay attention and you'l do fine.

She is very helpful and smart and uses good analogies so people understand. It is a tough subject, so I think the people who are complaining probably don't comprehend most things very well. Also she is very humorous if you get nerdy jokes, I laughed daily. This is definitely a class for more brainy people. Excellent teacher. I highly recommend her!

Laura is an amazing teacher! Anyone who is complaining about her teaching methods simply didn't put enough effort in. Lectures are interesting and she presents slide-shows often. Her tests aren't too bad as long as you read your book and study a bit. And there are only 8 HW assignments throughout the semester. Overall a good class! :)

Laura is extremely excited by astronomy and as such she will do every thing she can to make sure you grasp the concept. the projects are fun, easy, and engaging. highly recommend taking astron 12 as the lab, however. she works to make it interesting and is constantly reminding you of the scope of things, which i love. highly recommended, A+

Sparks is motivated, occasionally confusing, and sometimes difficult. She's still relatively new, so she is very helpful. However, she still expects much from her students to the point of confusion. This makes the class occasionally difficult or confusing. On the bright side much can be done to correct errors through extra credit.

Enthusiastic about the material and very open to questions in class or outside it. I learned a ton about space in her Stellar(!) Astronomy course. She brought the concepts down to earth quite well and moved a good pace, that wasn't too slow or too fast. I think she will continue to improve as a great teacher.

I loved Laura's class! I loved that she was so passionate about what she was teaching and she always had good memorization tricks. It was a interesting class and was pretty easy. If you go to class take notes and do the study guides for the tests you'll do fine, but you'll have to put in the work!! Not an easy A but great class! there is some math

She can be a little hard to understand at times, but she really does her best to get everyone in the class to understand. As long as you do the work, you'll do fine and most likely get an A.

Laura is awesome! She really passionate in what she's talking about. I had astro 3 and the astro 12 lab with her. I highly recromend the astro 12 lab best class at the jc. I had a hard time understanding some of the material so I would go to her office hours and she was really helpful. If you need a science requirment take her class!

Laura is the best teacher I have ever had. She is very clear and she helps you whenever you need it. She is by far my favorite teacher I have ever had at the JC and I will continue takeing her classes. She is a wonderful teacher and I feel she is very passionate about the course and she wont give up on you!! :)

Greatteacher, very helpful and test and quizzes are hard but reasonably hard. VEry low amount of HW which is great if you work. i recommened you take her class!

Ms. Sparks is a very nice teacher. she is very laid back and her class is very easy to understand. The exams can be difficult if you don't study but she makes sure to give plenty of extra credit for you to succeed in her class. I'd reccommned her.

I LOVED her class. She makes even the most difficult things understandable. She's great at making the lectures interactive and interesting. I got hooked on Astronomy because of her. She even formed a study group for everyone before the final. Tests are challenging, but you can do it if you study. Love the class, love the teacher.

I have taken 3, 3L & 4 from Laura. She is literally the best teacher I have EVER had. She works hard to teach to all learning styles & make her lectures involved & interesting. She is passionate, approachable, & supportive. I tell everyone to take her class! If you show up, pay attention, participate & do the reading - you'll do well in her class.

Laura is a great teacher! She keeps the class fun and and seems to put effort into coming up with activities and demonstrations instead of just pure lecturing.

Laura is a dedicated teacher who is both passionate about her subject material and who knows how to teach to lots of different learning styles. She does a great job of keeping the class's attention, even when the material could be boring presented another way. You have to work hard, but it's a college science class, and if you study you'll pass!

Laura is an amazing and dedicated teacher. It is absolutely clear how much she loves the subject. She sometimes gets so excited about some things that she nearly vibrates! Her energy level is always high, and is infectious. Great teacher.

I loved this class and Laura! She really does explain the complicated concepts well, tries to get the students to actively learn. The tests are just right, not too easy, not too hard. There's very little HW, and it's fairly easy. If you ever have a question, she's very helpful and willing to explain. She really wants her students to learn!

Laura is a wonderful teacher. She loves space and she gets excited about what she's teaching. She has innovative teaching techniques to keep student engaged and attentive and has ways of explaining complicated concepts in simple ways. HW is optional but all test questions are direct hw questions. Uses a sign-in sheet.

Laura is the best! She is really cool and loves teaching her subject. Explains really well and is always willing to help you. Go to her office during office hours! There is also tutoring available for astronomy which helps a lot before tests. Simple quizzes and homework. If you do well on those 2 things, you will definitely receive an A.

Ms. Sparks is a very good teacher. She is very bubbly and quirky all the time, and sometimes she's pretty darn funny. She likes to help you as much as she can but her tests can be a bit difficult. I'd reccomend her. Also, she's kinda good looking.

Very good teacher, one of the few teachers that you can tell really enjoys what she is teaching. She made an extremely hard subject very easy. You need to go to class to pass this class, if you pay attention you will pass.

Laura made this class wonderful for me!! She is extremely passionate about astronomy and teaching. She made astronomy easy for me to learn and was always open to answering questions. I look forward to her lecture, quizzes, and exams because I finally feel confident in a science class! You have to work hard, but it is SO worth it!

She is always very helpful and loves to interact with the class. A lot of group activities. We had fill in the blank notes that she provided for us and was totally clear about topics that are hard too understand. Quizzes are easy because she gives you the questions beforehand. Take her class if you want to get science out of the way.

She is very passionate about her class and likes to talk, but gets the class involved with notes, or in class projects. Class is fairly easy if you pay attention to what she says and reread your notes before the exams.

She's a really nice teacher and makes note taking really easy by posting fill in the blank notes for you to bring to class every day. Her class is very easy and you spend a lot of time in small groups going over stuff you learn. Be warned her lectures are very boring and redundant. Easy A

seriously an amazing teacher, passionate and enthusiastic about her job, makes you interested in things you wouldn't even think of. easy class to attend and all the answers for the test are given to you, just have to pay attention and do the homework even though it doesn't need to be turned in. awesome friggin class

Laura is an awesome professor. She is so enthusiastic and really explains the curriculum. There are three tests and a quiz every class. If you consistently study the notes and the study guides she sends out, you should do fine in this class.

Laura is a wonderful instructor who is very passionate about the subject of Astronomy. Her lectures are very informative and well prepared, with relevant in-class activities that help solidify understanding of topics. Do not take this class expecting an easy A. Astronomy is a very deep subject so expect to study a lot if you want a good grade.

Laura is a great teacher. She really loves astronomy and makes it really easy for other to love it as well.

Laura was a good teacher. Has a weird way of explaining things and is a bit strange herself. Other than that the class is entertaining, interactive and fairly easy. Be sure to study for the tests, and there's no homework only quizzes on questions you must do at home.

Laura is very enthusiastic and smart. Her class was much more fun and exciting than most lecture halls.

Take her lab because she knows that in lab class, it should be all in class work. Show up to every lab and simply do the work. She is super helpful and nice. She explains things well when you ask for help, I liked the class.

Very enthusiastic teacher. She made the topic enjoyable and fun to learn, even for someone who didn't like science before. The material is hard, but she made it very easy to understand. She wants you to succeed, put in some effort and you'll do fine in this class.

Clear, enthusiastic, always on time and prepared, prompt grader. The material is fairly difficult, but she did let us re-do parts of the first test, which was a huge boon to my grade. This is not a class you can skip or not study for. One thing I didn't like is that when the class thinned out toward the end, she demanded people in back rows move up

Shes super nerdy and so into astronomy its amazing. shes so funny love her. shes such a fun teacher because she loves astronomy so much it makes it such a fun earning environment. great easy class and i learned alot. You dont have to have any experience with astronomy to really understand. Pay attention in class, take notes and youll get an easy A

She's super passionate about her topic. If you don't care about the class, she'll let you just chill, but she keeps you engages. Definitely had my mind blown throughout the semester. She's sweet, and super helpful with her office hours.

This class was amazing! She is really an amazing teacher and you can tell that she loves doing this class. I recommend this class to anyone who wants to get a lab out of the way because it is only a 6 day class, just with long hours.

Astronomy 12 is an amazing lab class to take, and the professors are very passionate and helpful. This class is only 6 days, you have to stay at lake sonoma until midnight in order to see the stars, but much better than semester lone lab class. Mostly group work, and you will make friends easily. She is a good professor, and she grades fairly.

Laura Sparks is a smart, friendly person with a clear love for astronomy. I wish I could rate her a 5 and give this class a 2! Despite the promise of getting a lab credit for camping out under the stars, this class is really about trying to write and sketch in your lab manual in gale force winds, rain, biting cold, and near-complete darkness.

Best teacher I have had at the JC in a LONG time!! She is so much fun to listen too, she makes confusing material understandable, and is so passionate about what she teaches! The semester is just coming to an end and I am actually SAD that this class is ending!! I could listen to her lecture for years! Definitely recommendCAKK Laura!!

Laura is THE BEST TEACHER EVER! Funny, engaging, clear and organized. Plenty of extra credit, and tests exactly on what you have learned. Enthusiastic and really loves the subject she is teaching, which makes it that much better! Show up and do the homework, and you may be able to skip the final!! Best class I have taken at the SRJC.

This teacher is clearly devoted to astronomy, her love for it makes her lectures interesting and even inspiring. Though there will be a lot of homework and reading, it's worth it. She's also funny and seemed very understanding of all her students and gives several opportunities for extra credit.

Best lectures. So funny. I couldn't wait to come to her class. I showed up, did the HW and enjoyed participating. She really wants to make sure you understand the material before moving on and gives many opportunities to do so. Do the homework, it really helps to understand the material and you must expand your mind to understand the concepts.

Laura is a very enthusiastic teacher and one of the more inspiring and fun teachers to listen to. Her homework are boring but doable, just time consuming, but you want to do all of them incase you bomb a test because your overall homework grade will be replaced with the worst test grade which is very helpful. Study for the tests!! And you will pass

Your homework grade will replace your worst test grade. Do the homework and study for the tests. She gives study guides with what the test will cover. On the tests, she has open-ended questions where she tries to give you as many points as possible. The Big Bang can be a touchy subject, she addresses it with complete respect for others. Easy class.

Laura is a really great teacher learned a lot from her. She seems very passionate about the subject and your learning. Would take her class again for sure.

Excellent teacher! One of the best classes I've ever taken. She has an ability to make astronomy accessible to all types of learners, those with interest in the field or those simply trying to pass the class. I was always able to get the help I needed and ended up developing a real passion for astronomy. Thank you Professor Sparks!

This is one of the classes that I would strongly recommend. There are few classes that I have ever taken that deliver this type of amazing experience. This lab is two weeks long from Thurs-Sat 4pm to 1am. Don't let the times affect you it goes fast. Stop and enjoy what you are being shown and enjoy.

Super excited about teaching and you can tell she wants to make things a clear as possible so you understand. Answers every question and explains everything in the lecture sides so you can add it to your notes. There was no projects or paper and homework is optional but it could replace your lowest test grade if you do it. Super good and would take

An excellent teacher, who's teaching methods are great for people of all learning styles. She gives study guides for her tests, homework is optional, and her information is clear and organized. The textbook was free online, and the lecture book is $20 used. She is passionate and friendly. Put in any effort, and you should pass.

Laura is truly great! She is incredibly caring, doesn't require buying an expensive textbook, you will need to get a lecture book for in-class activities but even then she gives cheaper options. The homework isn't required but if you do the homework then it will replace your lowest test grade or it can stand in place for your final!

I took the Lab class with Her and Waxman and these two are quite the DUO! their lectures are fun! and they're both really excited about teaching the subject and it shows. take the class and participate and do the work and it really is an easy A. especially with these two teaching it.

Sparks was such a great professor. I learned a lot from this class and she really knew what she was talking about. There was however quite a lot of assignments (about 4 a week) but they were easy and helped me grasp concepts better. She was so caring and understanding. Would definitely recommend her.

Took this class with her + Stevick. They were a great, motivated duo. This class was very hands-on and engaging, the assignments were also interesting and required you to go out, observe the skies. Lenient grading, and good management of online instruction

I have never had an interest in astronomy, if anything found it too intimating and boring. But Professor Sparks piqued my interest in astronomy. She made concepts I once thought to be too tough to understand enjoyable. She is passionate, well organized, and extremely considerate of her students. Workload is manageable, don't slack & you'll be ok.

This class was pretty easy and the professor has a true care for astronomy as you would be able to see in her lecture videos. The class mainly focuses on assignments and is really easy to pass with the extra credit opportunities she provides so as long as you stay on track, you should be fine.

Really considerate and caring, and super passionate about the subject. I'm personally not interested in astronomy but I was never bored in this class. Nearly impossible to fail. Easy extra credit opportunities every week.

I had her online class and it barely felt like it was online. Usually I have trouble concentrating but she made great videos explaining everything very simply, so it wasn't hard to learn.

Laura Sparks is one of the best teachers ever. Her way of giving information/lectures is great, and she understands the topic can be difficult for many. If you're willing to work, she'll meet you where you're at, and give you plenty of chances to succeed. All you have to do is show up, don't be late, try a bit, and be interested in space.

Laura is a great professor, her lectures were interesting and she explained everything very well. There is a lot of work, but she guides you through it which helps you understand the material. I would definitely recommend taking her class!

ASTRON12 was a lot of fun and I can really tell that Ms. Sparks loves what she does. This class was really interesting and very straight forward. Ms. Sparks and Mr. Waxman went over the entire course on the first day and their description was very accurate to how the class went.

Online Astron 3 Lab was very enjoyable. I took Astron 3 back in 2017, but it was fine because everything you need to know for this lab class is taught to you. Every week you watch a video explaining the topic then do the lab.

Laura's lab class is awesome! Her videos for the online portion are clear, concise and easy to understand. The grading was fast and straightforward, the deadlines are clear and upfront. The course is very fast paced, but evenly spaced and therefore manageable. I appreciated the safety 1st approach in the field. Highly recommend this professor!

A smooth sailing course with clear instructions. The labs were pretty interesting and did help grasp the astronomy concepts well! I'm pretty bad at math, so having tablemates was helpful in this course and there were clear instructions in every lab to help guide. She is understanding, cares for students, and is passionate about what she teaches.

Laura Sparks is an amazing professor. If you take an astronomy class, I highly recommend that you take one with her because she is always on top of it when it comes to organization, both in class and on Canvas. I could tell that Laura truly cares about her students because she offers many extra credit opportunities and gives video lectures online.

I was not prepared for such in-depth labs for a 1-unit class. It honestly felt like my 3-unit Astron 3 class. I loved her lectures and walkthroughs. Everything was easy to complete, it just seemed like a lot. I would definitely take her again.

I really like Dr. Sparks and felt her videos did a great job at explaining the material in a understandable way! She responds quick and is overall a great teacher! The only thing I would say is that the labs require a surprising amount of work! It took me all work of working on it to finish it.

I really like Dr. Sparks and felt her videos did a great job at explaining the material in an understandable way! She is a great teacher! The only thing I would say is that the labs require a surprising amount of work, but are not hard, and are very time-consuming.

Amazing professor, homework is heavy but that also depends on your math/work style, its all labs. If your confused or struggling meet with her during office hours, she is very helpful! This class was so fun and interesting! One to two extra credit opportunity's. Took this class with Keith Waxman's ASTRON3, the best combo, go over similar topics.

She was an amazing teacher, and was very supportive of all her students. She give great lectures, and its clear that she really loves the topic she is teaching. She pops in a lot of quick jokes that are pretty funny. She is very clear on grading and if you show up to class, you won't have to do any HW, exams are typically done at home or in person.

She's a very enthusiastic, lovely professor who gives students A LOT of opportunities for extra credit.

L. Sparks is by far one of the best professors I've had at SRJC. Her love of Astronomy shows in her teaching style in the best way. She is very interesting, personable, and her teaching style is clear and engaging. She also uses Hyperflex which makes keeping up on work very easy

If you need to take Astronomy, Laura's your woman! She really cares about her students, and it shows. Don't miss class, do take notes, do pay attention, and you will do just fine. The whole astronomy department at SRJC is excellent! Except that Waxman guy......he's a little suspect. But back to Laura.....take her class! She is the best!