Randomized Socrates

Cold calling and classroom discussion

How randomized classroom questions work and how they contribute to participation.
Author

Jesse Perla, UBC

Class discussion is an important part of the course. To share opportunities to participate fairly, I use randomized cold calling to choose students to answer questions. This replaces iClicker questions and helps us avoid the distraction of using devices during lectures.

Socrates and a robot contemplating a roll of the dice

What to Expect

  • Willingness matters, not a correct answer. I assess your willingness to offer an answer. Sometimes I will first ask you to discuss a question with classmates nearby.
  • Be available when called. If your name is drawn and you are unavailable to answer, I will record you as “Not present”.
  • Patterns matter for participation. A systematic pattern of “Not present” records will affect your participation grade. Otherwise, your participation grade reflects your general engagement in class and office hours.
  • Selection accounts for previous calls. Your probability of being chosen depends on how recently and how often you have been called relative to other students. Being called recently and more frequently lowers your chance of being called again, but it never becomes zero.

Review at the Beginning of Class

I often begin class with questions reviewing material from the previous class. Arrive on time so you can take part, and review the previous class’s slides beforehand to prepare for these questions.