Do you get called on in college? (Answers in 2024)
Has your professor ever CALLED on you to answer a question during class?
Or are you wondering if professors cold call students anymore.
It can be a student’s nightmare to be sitting in a silent college classroom when their professor asks them to respond to a question.
The student looks up but realizes that they didn’t hear the entire question and now they’re frantic trying to come up with a response.
Or the student hates when their classmates stare at them in preparation of their response. It can feel like you are giving a presentation.
Maybe the student knows the answer but is afraid to speak up in class in fear of being wrong. It can be scary and intimidating to have to answer when called upon.
In this article, I am going to share why professors call on students, how often they do this, and what to expect in a college classroom.
As a former professor, I will tell you everything I know so you can be better prepared to attend your college class.
And don’t worry, I will give you tips on how to avoid getting called on and what to do if you get called on and aren’t prepared.
Do professors call on students?
Professors may call on students in their classrooms as a form of participation or to increase student engagement. But it is not a common practice for professors to call on specific students during lecture.
When I was a professor, I never called on students. It seemed harmful to students’ learning if I called on people who didn’t want to participate.
If students don’t want to speak up in class and I forced them to do it, they might miss class more often because they are afraid of being embarrassed.
This can hurt their overall learning.
That was my specific policy but professors vary a lot. Some might enjoy putting students on the spot while others are understanding of students’ preferences and don’t want to embarrass them.
So, while professors may call on students, it isn’t the norm. When I was in college, I rarely ever got called on, and I was a pretty quiet student.
It just depends on the professor but the vast majority don’t call on students a lot.
But if you want to learn how to speak up more and how to stop being afraid, read my article where I give you my best tips on how to finally start speaking up. It isn’t as hard as you might think.
Why do professors call on students?
Professors might call on students to get them engaged in the class or to earn participation points.
Attendance
As a professor, I took attendance in my classroom but I only required students to be present. I didn’t require students to speak up during class. But some instructors might use your participation as attendance.
When I was in college, I had this one professor who made every student earn participation credit. And this required every student to respond to her questions five times during the semester.
This was very frustrating as a student because everyone was raising their hand to respond and you were more worried about answering questions for credit than learning the material.
On the flip side, no other professors made us comment on the lecture so it was a very rare instance during my undergraduate college career.
Student engagement
Professors might call on students to get them active in the classroom. It can be helpful to have students participate during class because it could help students have better academic achievement.
You are more likely to ask questions, clarify material and foster a positive learning environment if you participate.
It won’t work for everyone but it can be a positive thing.
It seems pretty common for professors to try and get their students to talk and have scholarly discussion in the classroom.
It is college after all.
They don’t want the same students talking every time because it gets boring and other students won’t benefit. So if enough students don’t speak up, they might start calling on people instead.
Keep the classroom fun
Some professors might decide to call on students because they don’t want to stand there and lecture the entire time.
Students can zone out if the professors goes on and on so it breaks up the monotony of lecture by letting the students talk.
Requirement of learning
It can also depend on the type of class it is.
Some college classes will require more independent thinking like graduate courses. In my graduate classes, we were always having discussions and it was a requirement.
This can be true for other types of learning like workforce programs or foreign languages. It is part of the learning process to talk.
So, before you enroll in a class, check out the course syllabus to find out if participation is required.
Should professors call on students during class?
It might be best practices to get students engaged during class, but it isn’t always ideal for professors to call on students specifically.
It can cause some students to miss class because they are too shy and fearful of professors bringing too much attention to them.
The last thing professors want is to have students who aren’t motivated to come to class and have to force themselves to show up.
However, there are some classes that will only work when students are actively speaking up about their thoughts and opinions.
If teachers really want to have students discuss ideas during lecture, maybe they could have them do small groups instead.
This would still create an active learning environment but it will be easier for introverts.
How to avoid getting called on by professors during class
If students want to avoid getting called on during their college class, they should sit on the front row, appear engaged, and avoid looking distracted as professors may call on students who aren’t engaged.
You might think that you should avoid eye contact, sit in the back of the classroom or be vigorously taking notes to avoid getting called on, but I think you should do the opposite.
Let me explain.
Professors might think that students who sit in the back need more engagement during class to keep them focused on the material. And they might call on you just to get the entire classroom involved, even the back.
The people on the front row are typically students who participate more frequently and the instructor might want to focus on the rest of the classroom. This isn’t always true though but it has been in my experience.
If you sit on the front row, you are probably going to be sitting around other students who are actively speaking in class and your professor will go elsewhere for increased participation.
Another tip is to make eye contact with your professor.
If your professor is looking for someone to call on, they might point out someone who is on their phone or who isn’t paying attention. Professors want everyone to be paying attention and calling on students might be a way that they get people to do just that.
If you are making eye contact, your professor may glaze over you because they think you are already focused and don’t need a question to get you back on track.
Of course, it could be quite the opposite and you’ll just have to gauge your professor to figure out their methods.
What to do if you get called on during class?
If a student gets called on by their professor during class, they should take a brief moment to collect their thoughts and answer respectfully to the question. But if they did not hear the question or did not understand the question, it is okay to ask the professor to repeat it again or further explain.
I have a few tips to help you get through this and look like a pro while doing it.
Ask them to repeat the question
It is entirely possible that you weren’t paying attention when they asked the question. This happens to a lot of people and it has even happened to me.
It is okay to ask them to repeat the question.
You don’t have to tell them that you weren’t listening but instead ask them if they can further explain what they meant. This is a way to get someone to repeat a question without admitting that you didn’t hear it.
Your professor will not even realize that you weren’t paying attention.
You should say something like this, Professor, I am sorry, I am not sure I understand the question. Can you further explain?
Take your time
Do not feel like you have to ramble off an answer right away.
If you don’t know the answer, you could sit and ponder a moment or give yourself more time by asking your professor to explain some more.
This is the best trick to give yourself some additional time to come up with a good response.
And if you take too much time, your professor will probably move on to someone else.
Be honest
If you don’t know the answer to the question, be honest. You aren’t expected to know everything.
You can just tell your professor that you aren’t sure and maybe some of your classmates can help you.
It might be better to tell them that you don’t know instead of rambling off an answer that is entirely wrong and feeling more insecure.
Sometimes you may not want to talk because you don’t want to disagree with your professor about something.
If you want to disagree with your professor and go against their opinions, do so respectfully. It’s okay if your professor asks you about your thoughts, and they aren’t exactly aligned with your professor’s.
You are probably wondering what professors think when students do talk during class and I have an entire article dedicated to that topic.
What if you are scared to get called on in college?
If you are scared to get called on in college, you might try and select college classes that don’t require participation or take online classes. You can check past syllabi for the classes you want to enroll in and see if there are any professors that teach the course that don’t require participation.
But this might not save you from getting called on forever but it definitely reduces the chances that you will.
However, I have to mention this because I wouldn’t be helping you if I didn’t.
Maybe you shouldn’t run from your fears and you should face them at some point. You are probably going to have a job where you have to talk to other people or present at some point.
The more practice you have now, the better.
And you’d much rather make mistakes in college than in your future career.
But you will need to find ways to deal with your apprehensiveness first.
I recommend that students reach out to their professor and talk to them about it. Let your professor know how speaking up makes you feel.
I bet they are willing to help you feel more comfortable in class and they will make sure they take great care when calling on you.
If a student came to me about their concerns, I would listen to them and help ease their fears. I would also be very careful when I asked them questions in class.
I also recommend students sit on the FRONT ROW to feel more comfortable. When you sit on the front row, no one can see your face except people sitting around you or the professor.
If you sit in the back, students are more likely to turn around and stare at you when speaking.
If you still find yourself struggling, see if you could join a group that will help you get more confident.
Why do professors call on students who don’t have their hand up?
Professors might call on students who don’t have their hands up because they want them to be more involved in the class.
If a student is trying to avoid participating or appears disengaged in class, the professor might be more likely to call upon that student instead.
Professors may use this tactic to ensure every student is learning the material and is paying attention.
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