Asking questions during lecture (Professor explains)
Can college students ask questions during a lecture?
Yes, students are expected to ask questions during a college lecture to get clarification and engage in scholarly discussion. College professors typically welcome questions from their students during lectures, but there are some rules to consider first.
As a former professor, the classroom would be a REALLY BORING place if I did all the talking, and the students listened without any meaningful conversation.
I loved it when students would ask questions because it meant that they were listening and had some thoughts about the lecture. It was really impressive to me.
When students ask questions during a lecture, it breaks up the monotony of the professor’s lecture and helps other students understand the material.
What I noticed, as a professor, is when a student asked a question, other students had the same question too. This meant that the student who asked the question was able to help other wondering classmates that might not speak up for themselves.
So, don’t be afraid to speak up during lecture and ask a pertinent question. You’re professor will be impressed that you are listening and engaging AND you just might help another student who has the same question.
But before you ask a question during lecture, you should FOLLOW THESE RULES.
Raise your hand and wait to be called on
Follow your professor’s course policies
Respect your professor and other students’ time
It is more polite to raise your hand and wait for your professor to call on you. This is respectful and polite to other students who may have already raised their hand.
Your professor may have a course policy regarding questions during their lecture like waiting towards the end of the lecture to ask questions. This is uncommon, but you never know.
Another concern is being aware of time constraints. You don’t want to take up too much time asking questions during lecture. Your professor has many other things to share during lecture and your questions may take up too much time. And your classmates may have their own questions too. Don’t hog too much lecture time.
So, ask a few questions, and if you have more questions or need additional help, reach out during office hours instead.
Do professors like it when students ask questions during lecture?
Yes, professors like it when students ask questions during lecture because it shows the professor that they are listening, and that they are thinking critically about the topic. But if you ask too many questions, it could be disruptive to the learning environment.
There is a fine line between asking relevant questions during lecture and being a distraction. As a student, if you have a question, please speak up and ask your question during lecture. But, if you have a dozen questions, it might be best to talk to your professor during office hours for better clarification.
As a former professor, I never ignored students’ questions, but sometimes you could tell that one student might need more one-on-one help. If you are that student, you should seek tutoring or talk to your professor after class.
But if you have a few questions during lecture, there is really no harm in asking those questions.
And if enough students don’t talk during class, your professor may just start calling on students to participate.
Do professors get annoyed with dumb questions?
Professors won’t get annoyed with dumb questions if they are relevant and meaningful. If a student asks a question for the sake of being silly, the professor will get annoyed. But if you just think that a question is dumb because it seems obvious, your professor will welcome the question.
I think that you should NEVER be reluctant to ask a question that you think is stupid just because you figure that the answer is so obvious. It is likely that other students have that same question.
However, there are some students who ask dumb questions to annoy their professor or get the class to laugh. I would avoid doing that. But don’t hold back from asking questions just because you think that everyone else already knows the answer.
I know this motto is super cliche, but there is no such thing as a stupid question.
Can you ask too many questions during a lecture?
Yes, students can ask too many questions during a college lecture. Your professor has a limited amount of time to present the necessary material. So, you could take up too much time by asking questions, and other students might miss out on important lecture material.
If you have question, I definitely recommend that you ask during the lecture. But if you find yourself asking too many questions, like more than four or five, I think you should start writing them down instead and ask them later.
It is also critical to think about how long the lecture lasts. If you are in a 50 minute class, asking lots of questions can be distracting for your professor and classmates. But if you are in a three hour lecture, you will have more available time to ask questions.
You should also look at your professor’s and classmates’ cues.
Does your professor seem to be rushing through the material?
Is your professor quickly answering your questions?
Are your classmates visibly frustrated when you raise your hand?
Your professor may be rushing through the material because they are running short on time. You don’t want to bog them down with questions unless absolutely necessary like questions that are critical to your learning. But if you just have an idea, it’s best to avoid that at this time.
If your professor glazes over your question or avoids calling on you when your hand is up, this might be an indicator that they are annoyed. Although it’s not a perfect way to measure your professor’s annoyance with you, it can give you an idea.
Finally, if other students start moaning in frustration when you raise your hand, you may have used up too much of their time.
Just be socially aware of your surroundings to determine if your questions are welcomed.
Can you ask professors questions after lecture?
Yes, college students can ask questions after lecture. Professors should have available office hours for students to visit and ask questions. It isn’t ideal to keep your professor busy immediately after class though as they may have other work obligations.
Your professor will typically have available office hours for students to meet them. You could save your questions for your professor during their office hours.
If they don’t have office hours because they are an adjunct, you may have to contact them in another way.
I know the most convenient thing to do is wait and talk to your professor right after lecture. This saves you time. However, your professor may be on their way to another scheduled class or meeting.
When I was a professor, I would have students who would stop me after lecture and ask me questions, but I needed to pack up my belongings and head to my office for my scheduled office hours. And I really needed to get out of the classroom quickly because there was another professor waiting to use the classroom after me.
You can see that it’s possible to ask your professor questions after lecture, but I wouldn’t necessarily ask them immediately after class. But if you really needed to, you should FIRST ask them if they have a few minutes to chat before they leave the classroom.
What can you do about a student who hogs the lecture?
If a student is hogging the lecture time, it should be communicated with the professor. Students should let their professor know that other students are disrupting their learning because they are hogging the lecture time. This should be discussed in private.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your professor about a student who is sharing too many stories or asking too many questions during lecture. Your professor might not know that it is bothering other students.
As a former professor, I had a student who would share entirely too many personal stories, and take up a substantial amount of lecture time. It was really hard to deal with this situation. Students were upset, and they even made comments on my evaluations about these circumstances.
After this situation, I made a point to limit student’s conversation time during class for the sake of other students and their time. It isn’t fair for students to have their learning cut short because of a student’s oversharing.
If you are experiencing this, you should reach out to your professor and have a polite discussion with them. They may agree with you, and they will find ways to deal with it.
As a student, it is really up to your professor to handle this situation and I would avoid talking to the student yourself.
Do you have to raise your hand to ask a question in college?
Most professors would prefer students to raise their hand and be called on when they have a comment or question during their college lecture. This helps maintain classroom decorum and is respectful.
As a former professor, I think this entirely depends on the classroom setting too. Sometimes professors want a lot of scholarly discussion and would prefer students communicate independently without being called on.
While others maintain a professional classroom environment so that everyone isn’t talking over each other.
In most of my courses, students always raised their hand because that is the norm. A few students would speak up without raising their hand, but it never became a problem for me personally. I was just happy that students were actively participating.
It would be BEST if students always raised their hand out of respect for their classmates who might have something to say too.
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