India, Oct. 25 -- 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.

At Nanjing University in eastern China's Jiangsu province, former television producer and director Xu Kai launched a course called Oral Expression in 2015. It has since become one of the university's favourite public courses.

Students must call a stranger at random and interview them over the phone. While some have asked friends or family members to pretend to be strangers, others have turn...