Sustaining computer‐mediated communication in university courses

In the second of two graduate classes with the same title and content, the volume of on‐line messages per person, in the four weeks sampled, was more than seven times higher than in the first. Between weeks l‐2 and weeks 5‐6, the total number of messages per person dropped in the first class and rose in the second. Each class had a different computer‐mediated communication (CMC) system and was given different guidelines for use. This paper analyses differences in volume and hypothesises a relationship between system characteristics, guidelines for use, and the perpetuation of verbal interaction in settings where CMC is mandated.