A Chinese university is asking students to step out of their comfort zones with an unusual assignment that has proved difficult for some and prompted others to urge their professor to keep it. The exercise is part of a popular course at Nanjing University that aims to build confidence, improve communication skills and teach empathy.
It has since become one of the university’s favourite public courses. As pressure from the gaokao, China’s national college entrance examination, increased, she noticed her classmates becoming more withdrawn. Xu hopes his course will give students more opportunities to practise communication, including through activities focused on body language.
At Nanjing University in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, former television producer and director Xu Kai launched a course called Oral Expression in 2015.
Connie recalled enjoying expressing herself in primary school, but said speaking up was later seen as showing off. The course has received university recognition over the years, with Xu earning honours including “My Favourite Teacher” and “Teacher of Charisma”.
One student, who goes by Connie online, initially sought volunteers on social media before deciding to dial random numbers in Nanjing. Some people suspected she was a scammer, but she eventually found another student who agreed to speak with her. Three hung up immediately, one suspected he was a scammer, and the fifth agreed to be interviewed.
Another student, Hong Yiming, made more than 30 calls, but only five people answered. Because of it, despite the challenges, some students who completed the assignment urged Xu to keep it, while others reportedly dropped the course.
