During lectures, professors often pose questions to the class — only to be met with resounding silence. When no one raises their hand, some professors opt to move on. But others, hoping to increase classroom participation, turn to cold calling and “on-call lists.”
Students and professors say this system, while occasionally uncomfortable for students, has increased engagement in the classroom and improved public-speaking skills.
For the past 16 years, Associate Professor of English Ravit Reichman has used “on-call lists” in her courses because “typically only a small group of students feel comfortable speaking up in a larger class,” Reichman told The Herald. As a result, students who were more shy would “really clam up,” and only the same five to 10 students engage on a regular basis, she said.
This semester, Reichman is teaching ENGL 1711T: “1984: The Myth and the Moment” and ENGL 0710U: “Funny/Not Funny: Taking Comedy Seriously.” To create a comfortable environment and allow students to adequately prepare, Reichman informs students if they will be on call in advance.
Part of a professor’s “work in college is to help students find their voice,” Reichman said. Through on-call lists, she encourages every student to work through their thought processes out loud.
But Reichman understands that not every student thrives in this environment. For students who truly have a fear of public speaking, she offers one-on-one conversations during office hours as an alternative.
“This is not a public test — this is an invitation to enter the conversation,” Reichman said. “Everyone has a voice, and that we make space for that voice is critical to creating a classroom community.”
Ben Underwood ’27, a student in ENGL 1711T, said “the list is helpful because it makes people speak up.” But he added that sometimes, cold calling “makes the student uncomfortable and stops the momentum of the class.”
Seth Abeles ’27, who has taken several courses with cold-calling policies, has a positive outlook on the cold-calling system. “The class environment is made better by people who are actively contributing to it,” he said.
“I’m a real believer that being able to speak up in front of other people is a skill that people who graduate from Brown should have,” Abeles added, citing public speaking as an essential skill for internships and jobs.
Abeles is currently taking Professor of Economics Anna Aizer’s ECON 1629: “Applied Research Methods for Economics,” which utilizes a cold-calling policy.
Aizer implemented the policy for the first time this year and has noticed an uptick in lecture attendance as well as overall participation. When no one has the answer to a question — which doesn’t happen often in the lecture class of around 80 students — she calls on students from a randomized list.
Earlier this week, Aizer sent out a survey to gather students’ opinion on her new cold-calling policy. “I would not say that any student said they loved it,” she said about the results. “But most students said it was a good idea.”
Another course, POLS 1290: “The Rise of China,” uses a structured on-call list, in which students are broken up into three “panels.” Each panel is responsible for participating in class on their assigned day, which rotates every lecture. Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs Edward Steinfeld makes it a point to call on these students first before allowing other students to chime in.
Jordan Wiseman ’27, who is currently taking POLS 1290, said this system has pushed her out of her comfort zone and enhanced her learning experience.
“I’m not the most vocal person,” she said. But the class’s on-call structure has encouraged her to raise her hand of her own accord because she’s “prepared and (knows) how to answer certain questions.”
While Greyson Wisdom ’26.5 — who is also in POLS 1290 — agreed that the on-call system “definitely encourages participation and makes people pay attention,” he expressed some concerns.
Since the panels rotate, “you are really encouraged to deeply read” the materials only for every third class, he said. “I don’t know how well that aligns with the importance of the readings.”
