Evolution of CP

CP means class participation. You may think that it’s such a frivolous topic and the person must really be jobless to write on it. But it will amaze you that it’s one of the hottest topics in IIM.

If you have a question, you raise it, don’t you? It’s much more complicated than that. One, we have a system that rewards CP albeit a small cut in total (5%). Then you have a suspicious bunch of fellows who frown on anything more than acceptable level of CP (though the question of what is acceptable is as yet unresolved); To complicate matters further, a professor who mistakes CP as interest in his class and addresses the rest of the session to you, so there is loss of opportunity to do productive work, like snooze.

What do you do in this dynamic environment? This must be the evolution of CP.

Stage 1: Dumb/Passive CP: This is the lowest level. Here, you do a CP to clear your doubts. Unfortunately, yours truly is at this stage. ‘Sir, I don’t understand this’, ‘Could you repeat that?’ and so on. The advantage is that you don’t face jealous friends, if anything you get a lot of sympathy. Poor chap can’t get this one. Disadvantage, showing ignorance is nothing to be proud of.

Stage 2:  Frivolous CP: At least here, you recognize that you want the cut, but you make such frivolous comments which annoy classmates. Whatever question is posed, you give a lot of chaff.
Advantage: Most of the time the prof is confused. He neither accepts nor rejects what you said. Disadvantage: Face the wrath of your buddies.

Stage 3: Intuitive/perceptive CP: Here you try to predict what prof is about to say next, and ask the question ‘what about…’ whatever he was about to say. Now, prof is real impressed. But if you can predict his next line, so can others. They will sulk, if not annoyed.

Stage 4: Strategic CP: Here, you paraphrase what prof said or agree with him without making it too obvious. Eg. When communication prof said ‘Write clearly and precisely’ Tomer replied ‘Yes Sir, this is something everyone say but no one follows’. As such, you can’t call that a CP. You tend to ignore it. So there is no ill will among the buddies. But, at a psychological level, you reaffirm what professor said. He doesn’t reply, but forms a very positive view of Tomer. This is the highest level of CP which everyone should try and achieve.