He's very methodical, very step-by-step, and he uses a lot of code walk throughs to illustrate things, which makes those "aha!" moments when you're actually learning something happen a lot more often. The work he assigns is relevant, and graded by a rubric given with the instructions for the assignment, which are clear, proof-read & unambiguous.

Nice guy & ready to help you out when he can. Lectures are clear & he takes time to make sure questions get answered. Assignments built upon each other in a reasonable way. A lot of large programs in the last few weeks of semester which have a HUGE effect on your grade. I received a 25/45 on ONE program & it dropped my grade from 96% to 91%.

If you study and look over his notes and do the homework you will do just fine. He is very well organized with his in-class slides, and these do an excellent job of summarizing the textbook. If you are struggling, you should talk to him and practice additional programming on your own. If you'd had any prior experience, this class will be a breeze.

Really enjoyed this class. Nicest guy ever, EXTREMELY helpful. This class iscan be HARD if you are unfamiliar with the concepts. Don't be afraid to use google. The assignments take a LONG time to complete and are hard, but can be enjoyable if you like the subject. He gives feedback for EVERYTHING, enabling you to fix your errors. Overall 9.510.

Lots of program assignments for this class but most of them were very easy. ask questions if you are confused on anything you will get help right away. 4 long programs near the end of class. every assignment is straight forward with clear directions. Easy A but you must do the work for it.

He literally spent hours of back and forth emails to walk me through a sticking point in the class. Very thankful and grateful. Highly recommend him if you are in the market for Csci classes.

Amazing teacher, loved the lecture videos and he is very helpful. Very much encourages asking for help when you need it and we only had 2 tests. I learned a lot in this class, absolutely recommend, and would take again. Also the first 5 assignments are really easy, but the last 3 or 4 are pretty intense so don't let them sneak up on you.

Fantastic teacher. The best online teacher I've had. Clear assignments, tons of examples and videos directly related to each assignment. Fast response to questions. Friendly and positive guy who is there to help. Sad that I don't have any more classes with him in the future! Made an intense topic interesting and moderately easy to pick up.

Very good online lectures that go into great detail about the topic, along with code walk-throughs. The first part of the semester, the labs are pretty easy, but they build up to some tougher, longer ones at the end of the semester. If you stay up on the lectures and labs, and ask questions you'll do well. He's very good about answering questions.

You need to know how to code, eat and breathe programming before taking his class! Because at the very end of the class you will be shocked by the enormous assignments right after the first exam. 2nd half of the class is CS13 level without proper transition. He created his own assignments, Google and books wont help you find answers. Tough grader.

Amazing teacher. Highly recommend taking his CS12 class. Lectures were very clear and thorough, assignments starts easy but gets more difficult and based on each other. So I'll have to study to keep up. He is always ready to help, answer email questions quickly. Might not be super easy to get an A but you'll actually learn Java after the course.

Great prof for CSCI. Provides a metric ton of excellent resources and lectures for all the things you could possibly need to know for the labs. Don't get lulled into a false sense of security with the easy start, though! All the assignments build on each other and if you get behind you'll regret it. 10/10

He is a teacher who doesn't usually give you the answers up front, but gives you helpful step by step hints and allows you to figure it out yourself, which makes completing the assignments more rewarding. The hw requires a LOT of work, effort, and time, so be ready to dedicate many hours every week. Overall, this class is great if you enjoy coding.

Class starts out deceptively easy... but once the last half of the semester kicks in, this class will either make or break you. Great communication, provides resources beyond just lecture material. VERY particular on grading - don't expect easy full credit on assignments. If you've got what it takes, passing it will feel like a huge accomplishment.

Robert is an awesome cs teacher! He is very smart and does a great job ! He loves what he is doing and helpful. This class wasn't easy. HW requires a lot of time and work but he . So if you want to learn Java PLEASE PLEASE take this class otherwise you will miss a lot of stuff . And I'm pretty sure CS13 is going to be easy after this class!

I've taken many online classes but I've never encountered a more dedicated instructor than Prof. Lapkass. He is always willing to reply emails and offers online office hours to explain and help you get started with the lab assignments. He's very rigorous with coding style, so I've kind of inherited some strict adherence for any language standards.

Easily the most thorough professor i've ever had. Prof Lapkass truly wants you to learn the Java language. Given that, this class is quite demanding. You will spend hours on programs in the second half; making time management important. But he is there to help. Ask him questions! He ALWAYS responds, and is always willing to help you out. WORK HARD!

One of the best professors I have ever taken. Has an online office hours to go over assignments and debugging, quick to respond with emails, he has lots of lecture notes, and the textbook was OPTIONAL to purchase because past students said his lectures were better. Boy, were they right. I saved $100 this semester thanks to this professor. Take him!

He takes the time walks you through everything, even though you're expected to really learn.

I learned more about coding in this class than I did in a full year of trying to teach myself. The lectures and assignments bring together a lot of ideas and moving parts which allow you to exercise your ability to problem solve, which is an important skill to have in any CSCI field.

His online CS12 class is great. Some of the most extensive lecture notes/resources I have encountered in an online class. Prof. Lapkass must have invested a considerable amount of time into creating them. Definitely take this course, you won't regret it.

Professor Lapkass is great. This course is great. Clearly cares about his students and will help you if you need it. Provides you with everything you need to succeed. It is however, up to the student to do the work. Take advantage of his code reviews! Wish he taught CSCI13!

Please take this class IF you want to actually learn something. DO NOT let the high difficulty rating deter you away. Professor Lapkass tries to help you as much as possible, BUT only if you seek out help. His lectures are amazing, and if you have ZERO(I had zero experience also) programming knowledge you ARE in GOOD hands. Take this class!!!

Professor Lapkass is an incredible teacher - I wish I could take him for all of my computer science classes. His lectures and code reviews are very thorough without being too verbose and he is very communicative. You can tell that he cares about your education and he gives you plenty of opportunities to get help.

You wont fully understand how beneficial he is until you end the semester and move onto CSCI 13. Hes a wonderful kind professor who wants the best for you and all the other students. Take him if youre a comp sci major you wont regret it

Professor Lapkass is a great teacher if you are taking the class to really learn about programming. You will go from knowing nothing to almost all of the fundamentals of programming for certain. I would recommend his class to those who are willing for a good challenge. Online did not make me feel like I was missing out on anything. Well ported.

Professor Lapkass is one of the best professors I have had. He is very knowledgeable in the subject, and even if you have zero background in computer science you will be in good hands. I knew almost nothing about coding and after taking this class I know so much more, take his class if you want to really understand the process of coding

Has a code review to help, clearing grading rubric and you can always email him for help. Content does get harder after the midterm but its nothing you can't handle.

Boy if you want an in-depth introductory Java class, stop dilly-dallying, hold on to your britches, and sign-up for Rob's CS12 class. As an engineer who's been in the field, he's got LOADS of tips and tricks of what works and what doesn't. This means he's a little more detail-oriented in homework, but the coding habits you gain are invaluable.

Great professor overall. The back half of the class is essentially a watered-down version of CS13 so be prepared for the extreme jump in difficulty. I didn't personally find the class that "challenging" much, although the assignments did require a lot of time and thought. He is very student friendly by giving you reviews and responding within 8 hrs

Incredible Professor, Not knowing what I was doing the first week of the semester was challenging, I was having a hard time and eventually went to talk to my professor 1 on 1. It was the best thing I could've asked for. Doesn't feel bad or shame you for not knowing the class and is completely understandable. Make sure to read those reviews/comments

Class was good but the IDE that was used was awful and was a constant source of headaches.

One of the greatest professors I have ever had. Provides an insane amount of well written lecture videos as well as many examples of sample code. Has a strict, but clear rubric and will even review your code before you turn it in. Just watch out after week 9, the assignments take longer, going from taking 1 day to finish to taking the whole week.

Professor Lapkass is amazing! This was one of the few college courses I took at Sierra where I actually learned something. He provides video lectures, lab demos and clear/detailed instructions for homework assignments. He is a very welcoming and kind Professor who wants you to succeed, so dont be afraid to reach out for help! He encourages it!

Take his online CS12 class if youre serious about learning to code. He provides thorough video lectures and demonstrations on everything you need to know. This is a tough and time consuming course, but Prof. Lapkass wants each student to succeed and quickly responds to any questions. I wish he taught CS13 too!

He's a great professor and super friendly; however, he's honestly SUPER harsh on grading. The code could run and compile correctly as stated in the directions and he'll still find a way to take points away. Also, halfway through the class he makes the curriculum very difficult. My peers have told me he basically starts teaching CSCI13 halfway thru.

If you are looking to learn Java this is the class to do it. Mr. Lapkass is very helpful and has some patience. One note if you want to take this class, the class is split in the first half and second half. FIRST HALF IS EASY, BUT PAY ATTENTION AND ASK QUESTIONS. Second Half is more "On your own work" and you'll get lost if you dozed off on the 1st

If you're like me and have no programming experience or blew off CS10 a bit, Professor Lapkass's course will bring you up to speed on the fundamentals. The support is what I loved most about this class. From really informative zoom meetings, code reviews, and peer pass tutoring, the assignments and concepts were then always made clear.

Professor Lapkass is by one of the best professors I've had. He is clear, helpful, and fair when grading. I can honestly say I learned a great deal from him. Go to his office hours. They are definitely worth your time. Don't underestimate how much time assignments take. You are going to work hard in the course, but it will definitely be worth it.

His lectures and zoom sessions are really informative and straightforward. Be sure to take advantage of the code reviews because they can really help you! Keep on track, watch the lectures, and don't procrastinate; it's a bit overwhelming at first but you'll be fine if you do these!

Take him, thank me later.

He's a great professor, very responsive to questions, and offers lots of resources for help with assignments. His instructions later on in the course can be confusing and hard to understand, so watch the office hours. This class can be challenging and takes a ton of time but you learn a lot, like I learned I am glad I'm not a Comp Sci major :)

The most responsive teacher you will find. Show up to the zoom meetings and get your work in on time. Midterm and final are challenging, but most of your grade comes from homework. The end of the class is a cluster**** but if you take the class seriously, you will learn a lot. Would take him again but needs to change his text book.

I thought that coding was going to be hard, but Rob made it simple. There is lots of lecture videos to watch, but that's standard for any CS course. He is a tough grader and makes you adhere to a very strict coding standard, but he allows code reviews where he "grades" it and tells you what to fix. The class picks up in difficulty as time goes on.

Loved him. Explained everything in good detail, maybe a bit too much but if you're a comp sci major then its good to know those extras details. His online class was indeed tough during the second half but it definitely getting your brain turning and thinking outside the box for a lot of his labs. Taught very good practices and structure to coding.

If you want to become a software developer, take this instructor. If you are not serious about that, maybe someone else. Yes, the second half of the course is very demanding, and he is picky about coding style. That's the way professional programming often is. This course teaches programming for real.

I enjoyed the professors class. Great lectures and a ton of resources to do well in the class.

In relation to the tags above: Tough Grader: He is very particular about small coding conventions. Besides that, as long as your output matches his sample output, you should be okay with the logic side of it. Get Ready To Read: The material is basically taught by the lecture notes. which are very intricate, although there are drop in office hours

GOAT. Class and HW will be hard **if this is your first programming language**. HOWEVER, learning everything he covers will make all future CS courses 10x easier, as it applies to almost all languages. First 10 weeks=simple, last 4-6 weeks=overly complex. DO NOT take more than 2-3 classes if ** applies to you or you'll die in 2nd half of semester.

This professor is difficult and so expect to spend LOTS of time on assignments. If you already have a heavy schedule I would not recommend, unless you are okay with just a passing grade. He is available to email and is there to help you succeed. If you do code reviews and at least read through the lecture notes, it is possible to do well.

CS is hard in general but he makes it easy to understand, GREAT teacher!! Assignments are very clear, expect to spend lots of time coding. Lectures are amazing, go to office hours!!! Easily the best teacher I've ever had in the CS department at Sierra. He cares about his students and wants you to succeed. Very accessible through email/hours.

Professor Lapkass is a great teacher clearly has a ton of professional experience Java. He is very particular in having coding done in a specific way. BE AWARE, CSCI-012 is very challenging. I spent 40 hours a week working on the weekly assignments and barely had enough time to get them turned in by the due date. This is a HARD CLASS.

Love this professor!

What a professor! The code reviews he does before submitting your homework "lab" assignments are amazing and very insightful. Great guy to ask questions, is very open, and pretty much accessible at any reasonable time of any day. One minus is that he has his own textbook, which is just all his slides printed into one ~400 page "textbook".

Great computer science professor. Sends out reminders constantly about what's coming up so that you're never surprised. All assignments have straightforward grading criteria and as long as you follow them you can for the most part get full credit. If you take his CS12 class, be ready for the second half of the semester where the pace will quicken.

Please take him you won't regret it!

Ignore the one person spamming negative reviews below. If they had taken the time to read any of the reviews they would've known everything they complained about and prepared. The course is heavy (esp in the second half) BECAUSE this is for your major buddy, AKA the most important part of your degree and what you'll be doing as a job. Like hello??

Professor Lapkass offers much more than other CS profs. The quality of feedback and communication is the strongest I've seen at Sierra so far (even compared to in-person classes). Code reviews are the most valuable part of the class, so if you don't do them, you're losing A LOT. One downside is 3+ hour lectures with no practice in between.