Based on previous claims that computer conferencing (CC) systems are cold and unemotional, we hypothesized that in an educational setting CC courses with higher levels of paradigm development would have lower socioemotional and higher task content in messages. Also, these courses would be considered by students as more appropriate for CC. Courses with higher levels of paradigm development include statistics, epidemiology, and accounting. The relationship between level of paradigm development and both appropriateness and socioemotional content are significant, but in the opposite direction. No significant difference in task content is found.
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