Why does my professor cold-call on me so much more than other students?
I’m in a business class where cold-calling is a regular part of the class. I’ve noticed that I get cold-called very frequently, usually once or twice per class, while there are students who sit on their computers every class and have literally never spoken once, yet somehow never get called on.
What confuses me is that I’m actually engaged in class. I don’t have my computer open, I pay attention, and I volunteer answers fairly regularly. So I’m a little baffled as to why I still get cold-called so often compared to everyone else.
Sometimes I answer well and confidently, but other times I’ve definitely struggled under the pressure of having to think on the spot.
I wouldn’t say I feel harassed, but I do sometimes feel singled out and uncomfortable, and I wanted to get professors’ perspectives on this.
Is my professor consciously calling on me so often? Do I just seem targetable? Or have I shown potential, and they want to encourage me to speak up even more? (Again, this doesn’t completely make sense to me because I do volunteer often whereas other students don’t.) Or is it unintentional? This is a very well-established professor with over 20 years of teaching experience.